George Worker, a former New Zealand cricketer, has decided to retire from professional cricket at the age of 34. He is stepping away from the sport to take up an exciting new job with an investment services firm.
Worker spent 17 years playing professional cricket, starting his career with Central Districts and finishing with Auckland. During this time, he built lasting friendships and made memories he will always treasure. He had a brief international career between 2015 and 2018, playing in ten ODIs and two T20Is. His debut came on a 2015 tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa, where he made an impressive 62 off 38 balls in his first T20I match, earning the Player-of-the-Match award.
In 2017, Worker caught the selectors’ attention again after a strong performance in the Ford Trophy, where he scored 659 runs in ten innings. This led to his ODI debut on the same African tour, and he played a few more ODIs in 2017, including matches in Ireland and at home against the West Indies, where he scored three half-centuries.
Recently, Worker was called up to New Zealand’s ODI squad for a series in March 2022, but he didn’t get a chance to play. Over his career, Worker played in 169 List A matches, scoring 6721 runs with an average of 43.64 and hitting 18 centuries and 37 half-centuries. While his first-class and T20 stats were less impressive, he was known for his solid performance in domestic cricket.
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George Worker also contributed as a part-time left-arm spinner, taking 58 wickets in first-class matches, 60 in List A games, and 42 in T20s. He played a key role in helping the Auckland Aces win the Ford Trophy in the 2021-22 season, where he was the top run-scorer with 672 runs, including four centuries.
Evan Jones, Auckland Cricket’s head of performance and talent, praised Worker for his leadership and experience, saying he will be missed but they are excited for him as he starts this new chapter in his life.
Worker himself expressed his excitement about the future, saying he is looking forward to bringing the same passion and dedication he had for cricket to his new role with Forsyth Barr.
