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Healy hangs up his gloves

Veteran Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy today announced that he is hanging up his gloves after more than 10 years at cricket's top level.

Healy holds the World record for Test match dismissals with 395 in 119 Tests, but he has suffered from poor form and injuries in recent seasons and his place in the team has come under increasing scrutiny.

He had been expected to play one final Test match against Pakistan in November to try and reach 400 dismissals at his beloved GABBA ground in Brisbane, but the 35-year-old said he no longer enjoyed the game.

''I am retiring because I've had enough. My wicketkeeping's fine, it's the batting that's been the problem,'' Healy told a news conference.

''A wicketkeeper has to contribute handy runs at a minimum -- anything above that's a bonus -- but I haven't been contributing too many handy runs over the past two tours.''

Healy said he would have liked to have finished in Brisbane, but he decided to stand down so his replacement could play the full summer. He is standing down from all forms of cricket.

Australia's cricket-loving Prime Minister John Howard led the tributes for Healy, describing his career as ''fantastic''.

''I want to say to Heals: "Thank-you for the enormous contribution that you've made to Australian cricket','' Howard told Australian Radio.

''He has such transparent enthusiasm and energy and passion for the game. He's broken all sorts of records. His batting has got better as the years have gone by.''

Former Australian wicketkeeper Rod Marsh said Healy had worked ''extremely hard'' at his game since his elevation to the Australian team.

''He's really done remarkably well for his entire career with both the gloves and the bat,'' Marsh said.

Marsh said Healy's wicketkeeping to leg spinner Shane Warne was an example of his outstanding ability.

''He would know what Warnie was going to bowl before Warne would bowl it,'' he said. ''He kept extremely well on last day wickets all over the world.''

Along with his impeccable 'keeping, Healy was a very capable lower order bastman and scored 4,356 runs at an average of 27.40 with four centuries. He made his highest score of 161 not out against the West Indies at the GABBA in 1996-97.

His replacement is likely to be west Australian Adam Gilchrist, who was in Australia's World Cup-winning one-day team earlier this year.

Healy career

UNI