SYDNEY, June 9: Former Australian Test opener Michael Slater said on Wednesday arthritis had forced him to retire from first-class cricket. Slater, 34, called a press conference here to announce his retirement and said he hoped to return to full fitness but it would have been irresponsible to sign a new contract with his state team New South Wales.

"The decision has been a painful one, a very tough one given that I still have the desire to play and believe that I still have a lot to offer New South Wales," Slater said.

Slater said he made the final decision late last week after contemplating it for some time. "It just dawned on me it was unfair on myself in terms of getting fully recovery and on my team mates, and also locking up a contract, just in the hope of playing," he said.

"All of a sudden it fell into line and the decision was an easy one to make at that point." He stressed his health had been the major factor in his decision, rather than the reduced contract he had been offered by NSW for next season.

"No-one likes getting a pay decrease and initially there was a little bit of disappointment and conversation about that, but when I went away and thought about moving forward it wasn't the money at all, it was purely to do with my health and getting back on track and getting back to 100 percent fitness," Slater said.

Cricket Australia Chief Executive James Sutherland paid tribute to Slater, one of the most dashing openers in Australian Test cricket. "Michael is one of those rare players whose contribution to the game was even greater than his impressive statistics imply," Sutherland said in a statement.

"Fourteen Test tons is pretty impressive, and so was his role helping Australia back to the top. "But it was his approach and obvious pride representing his country which inspired countless Australian kids and left fans with our most lasting memories of him as an international player.

"His practice of kissing the Australian coat-of-arms on his helmet upon reaching a century emphasised the passion and pride with which he represented our country." Slater made his Test debut on the 1993 Ashes tour to England and played 74 Tests, scoring 5,312 runs at an average of 42.83 with 14 centuries.

His top score was 219 against Sri Lanka in Perth in 1995-96. He played 216 first-class matches over 12 years for Australia, NSW and Derbyshire, scoring 14,912 runs at 40.85. Slater will be remembered as an exhilarating shot-maker, who formed one half of Australia's most productive opening partnership with former skipper Mark Taylor.

"He was a great entertainer at times, he could disappoint the hell out of you, there's no doubt about that, he'd find a way of getting out and you'd shake your head and 'why would you do that?'," Taylor said at the press conference. "But on the other hand, the very next day he'd play the same shot and it would go screaming in the air through cover point for four." -AFP