New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori admits he tried to talk fast bowler Shane Bond out of retiring from cricket.
Bond, 34, announced yesterday he had called stumps on all forms of the game following New Zealand's unsuccessful tilt at the Twenty20 world championship in the West Indies.
Vettori said he had spoken more than once to Bond about his decision but couldn't sway his desire to spend more time with his family, ending an injury-plagued nine-year international career in which he became the quickest New Zealander to reach 50 test and 50 one-day international wickets.
"Obviously I tried to talk him out of it," Vettori said.
"I would have liked him to have a bit of a break after this and then reassess where he's at. But Shane's a pretty strong individual, and he knows his body and his frame of mind.
"He's been a great servant for New Zealand cricket."
Vettori said Bond's departure was particularly painful as a captain as he was always a man to turn to either with the new ball or to send ripples through opposition batsmen.
"As a captain and a player, having a person of that calibre and that type of cricketer, he's some that New Zealand hasn't seen a lot of -- a consistent fast bowler who can terrorise teams and win games. Apart from Richard Hadlee, there's been few like him," Vettori said.
"You always knew you had a strike weapon in your team and an opposition is wary of what he can produce.
"You always saw that when he took the ball, teams were slightly more nervous. They knew how destructive he could be."
Vettori believed Bond's exceptional record early in his career against Australia earned him instant worldwide respect.
"Everyone stood up and took notice when he ran through them on a number of occasions," he said.
NZPA