Shaun 'The Wild Thing' Tait hangs up his boots

Former Test pacer and 2007 World Cup winner Shaun Tait has officially announced his retirement from the game, aged 34.

Known as The Wild Thing for his blistering pace and unconventional bowling action, Tait played three Tests and 54 limited-overs internationals for his country and was part of Australia's unbeaten campaign at the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean, which he says was the highlight of his career, reports cricket.com.au

Tait's express pace and slinging bowling action meant he was beset by injuries throughout his career; he retired from first-class cricket in 2009 and one-day internationals in 2011, but had continued to play as a T20 specialist in domestic leagues around the world, most recently for the Hobart Hurricanes in the KFC Big Bash League this summer.

But he says a chronic elbow problem that he has battled for more than a decade, and his form for the Hurricanes this summer, convinced him to call time on his 15-year career as a professional.

"I honestly wanted to play a couple more years, whether it was over in the UK or here," Tait told cricket.com.au.

Tait holds the unofficial record for the equal second-fastest delivery ever bowled in international cricket, a 161.1km/h thunderbolt against England in 2010 that was just 0.2 km/hr slower than the all-time mark set by Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar.