Tait puts career on hold

Australia Test bowler Shaun Tait is to take a indefinite break from cricket due to physical and emotional exhaustion, Cricket Australia has revealed.

In a statement released by the governing body, 24-year-old Tait said an absence from the game would "hopefully give me a clear mind and a chance for my body to rest and recover".

No timeframe on a return to the game has been placed on Tait, who will sit out Friday night's Twenty20 clash against India in Melbourne and the forthcoming Commonwealth Bank Series.

He will also be unavailable from interstate duties for South Australia.

Tait said: "This is a very difficult situation for me to be in at this time, this is not an overnight decision but something that I've been struggling with for some time.

"A break from professional cricket will hopefully give me a clear mind and a chance for my body to rest and recover."

He added: "My love and enjoyment of the game is struggling due to these issues and if I continue to go on it will be unfair on my teammates and support staff of both the Australian and South Australian cricket teams - and most importantly my family and close friends."

Tait had shoulder surgery following the 2005 Ashes series and also had an operation last year to repair an elbow injury.

That, according to South Australian Cricket Association medical officer Terry Farquharson, led to Tait also suffering "ongoing pain as well as suffering intermittent low back and hamstring injuries".

"The combination of his injury history and the demands of being an elite professional cricketer has affected his physical, and significantly, his emotional well being," Farquharson said.

"Shaun feels he needs a rest from cricket and I support this, which will allow him to recover both physically and emotionally."

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