Miles made his debut for Gloucestershire as a 16-year-old in Might 2011, making him the fourth-youngest participant within the membership’s historical past. He went on to say 512 wickets throughout codecs in his 16-season profession, together with 368 at 28.58 in first-class cricket. In 2015, he was named the membership’s Younger Participant of the 12 months after contributing 12 wickets, together with a better of 4 for 29 in opposition to Yorkshire, en path to Gloucestershire’s victory within the Royal London One-Day Cup remaining.
He returned to Gloucestershire final summer time, having spent seven profitable seasons at Warwickshire from 2018 to 2024. This spell included 37 wickets at 21.81 of their County Championship-winning marketing campaign in 2021, and he went on to star in that summer time’s Bob Willis Trophy Last at Lord’s, taking 5 for 28 within the first innings as Warwickshire beat Lancashire by an innings and 199 runs.
In an open letter to Gloucestershire’s followers, Miles defined his causes for now stepping away from the sport, as he acknowledged the toll that skilled sport had taken on his psychological wellbeing.
“It is with disappointment, but in addition with enormous satisfaction, that I can announce my retirement from skilled cricket,” Miles wrote. “Though this has in no way been a straightforward choice … making the choice now permits me to look again on my profession with fondness and gratitude in the direction of a sport that has given me a lot.
“The longevity and achievements are far past something I may have ever dreamed of, and the chums, experiences and reminiscences I’ve made will final a lifetime.”
Although he performed in 4 Championship matches at the beginning of the season, Miles had been on a depart of absence with Gloucestershire because the opening rounds of the T20 Blast in June. He thanked the membership for his or her “excellent” help throughout “essentially the most precarious interval of my profession”.
“My latest time away from the sport has given me the chance to replicate and perceive myself higher, in addition to my relationship with cricket,” he added. “The challenges I’ve confronted lately are ones I’ve skilled at different factors in my profession, though by no means with the identical depth as this time.
“The excessive expectations I place on myself and the requirements I’ve at all times tried to succeed in have typically been the catalyst for these durations. At occasions, they’ve compromised how I’ve felt about my skills and performances. The questioning and self-doubt that observe solely serve to strengthen an unhelpful narrative.
“Once you add within the volatility and uncertainty that cricket naturally brings, it turns into an unforgiving and finally unsustainable approach to method the sport.
“The naivety of youth, ambition and the continuous need to be the perfect participant I may very well be helped me by earlier challenges. I noticed them as bumps within the street, a part of the method, or just a interval of kind, and people had been the justifications that allowed me to persist, bounce again and are available by the opposite aspect.
“Sadly, I now really feel I now not have the capability to proceed in a method that permits me to coach, play and carry out to a typical I can settle for from myself.”
“Craig is a Gloucestershire boy. I used to be fortunate sufficient to current him together with his first cap again in 2011, and he is been extremely proud to characterize this excellent membership. We’ll be working laborious to help Craig as he transitions out of the sport.”
Miles added that he had given his skilled profession “a great go”, and thanked his household and colleagues for his or her help, in addition to the Skilled Cricketers’ Affiliation and the psychological well being charity Sporting Likelihood.
“After all, there have additionally been so many durations after I’ve cherished the sport, performed with freedom and really expressed the participant I’m,” he mentioned. “A primary-class debut at 16, greater than 200 video games, over 500 wickets, a One-Day Cup and a Championship win – it has been a fairly good go. I can recognize these accomplishments greater than ever now and, maybe for the primary time, give myself the self-validation I deserve.
“I’ve shared altering rooms with so many unbelievable folks, performed with and in opposition to some nice gamers, and been lucky sufficient to come back out on the appropriate aspect of some superb video games.”