Corey Anderson confirms New Zealand retirement; signs on with USA's MLC

Corey Anderson has quit New Zealand cricket with immediate effect after accepting a three-year contract with the upcoming Major League Cricket T20 in the USA.

Confirming the development to Cricbuzz, Anderson said, "It's been a huge honor and extremely proud to represent New Zealand. I would have loved to have achieved and played more but just is what it is sometimes, and different opportunities arise and send you in a direction you never thought would be a possibility. Very appreciative for everything that NZC has done for me."

Anderson, who holds the record for the fastest ODI century in men's cricket, bids adieu with 93 caps for New Zealand across the three formats.

Anderson's stoic and burly physique complements his natural six hitting ability. He shot to instant fame within a year from his debut with the 36-ball century against the West Indies in 2013. The Mumbai Indians came calling with a $750,000 contract shortly thereafter. He became a fan favorite by playing the most impactful innings (95* off 44) in the 2014 season, pulling off a nerve-wracking win to steer his team into the playoffs. Anderson was also an integral part of New Zealand's World Cup run in 2015, albeit ending up as runners-up.

Forever stymied by injuries, Anderson's career sank further after the World Cup. A spate of stress fractures, groin injuries and chronic back issues followed by doubt and skepticism in his ability upon his many comebacks meant he couldn't match the highs of the hitherto promising career. Anderson, who turns 30 next Sunday, therefore played his final game for New Zealand way back in November 2018.

However, this isn't the first time Anderson would be making a cricketing move with a considerable leap of faith. Hailing from the southern island, he left the comforts of his home as a 20-year-old and moved to the northern island to rejuvenate his cricketing career with Northern Districts in search of more game time.

"It hasn't been an easy decision. I asked myself several questions. What do I want to do now or what do I want to achieve in the next two years, five years, 10 years? As you get older you think about life a little bit more broadly as well. And obviously, my fiance, Mary Margaret, who's born and raised in America, she's had a massive part to play in that because she's sacrificed so much for me, by moving to New Zealand, getting immersed in a different culture there and, and supporting me through a lot of tough times with injuries and time out of cricket. So, when the opportunity arose, we thought that living in America is the best thing, not only for my cricket, but it's, it's the best thing for both of us in general as well," Anderson added.

Anderson is looking forward to cricket in America and is fairly pleased with his brief interaction with cricket in the country. He visited a Minor League Cricket exhibition game between Dallas and Houston in September and was surprised with the level of cricket on display. "I went out there for a few minutes but decided to stay back to watch the entire game. It turned out to be a super over [game]!" said Anderson.

Anderson is the most high-profile signing made till date by Major League Cricket after getting Pakistan's Sami Aslam and South Africa's Dane Piedt into their fold. As with Aslam and Piedt, Anderson's contract requires him to play Major and Minor League Cricket and undertake coaching activities at MLC's chain of cricket academies.