TASMANIA’S Sheffield Shield season from hell just got a whole lot worse with Ed Cowan dropping a bombshell by announcing his retirement from the Tigers program.

The former Test opener only signed a new one-year deal with the state less than a month ago, but said it was time to prioritise his family ahead of cricket.

He will return to his home state of NSW.

Cowan, who has played 18 Tests for Australia, said he still had a desire to play Test cricket, but realises the move north could hinder his chances and that “it’s family first from here”.

“I might end up playing club cricket for Sydney Uni next year and that’s the only cricket I play,” he said.

Cowan said he’s had no contact with NSW Cricket, who he said are a strong unit.

“Let it settle, have a break and I’m sure it will come to me, what’s going to happen from there.”

A press release from Cricket Tasmania said Cowan’s retirement from the state was effective immediately, but the 32-year-old said he made himself available for the last Shield match against Victoria starting in Alice Springs on Friday.

“I told Dan Marsh and my teammates on Sunday that from a cricketing point of view I won’t be playing cricket for Tasmania next year,” Cowan said.

“It is with a very heavy heart I told them.

“It is time to be a family man who plays cricket rather than a cricketer with a family. That is a very hard decision to make when cricket has been your No.1 priority for 15 years.

“Times change I guess and it is purely a personal reason we are going to be moving back to Sydney.

“It [signing a new contract] was probably the catalyst to be fair, because I made a mistake in signing but I didn’t realise it was a mistake until I did.

media_camera Ed Cowan's wife Virgina and baby Romy will be the batsman’s No. 1 priority now. Picture: Adam Head

“It was that point in time I re-evaluated my priorities in life and it was literally the next day I thought this is me prioritising cricket over my family. That didn’t sit comfortably.”

Cowan is the third leading run scorer in the Shield competition this year, with 815 runs at an average of 47.9. He peeled off four centuries prior to Christmas to thrust his name back into Test calculations but was overlooked during the Indian series.

His announcement with one match remaining is a massive blow for the state given its season long struggles with the willow.

Cowan has scored 332 more runs than the next best Tiger (Jordan Silk has 483) and was the main reason the side was in contention prior to the Big Bash break.

However the Tigers have lost all four of their matches since the BBL.

Cowan is unsure whether he will get a farewell game for his adopted state, but understands if not.

“I was certainly available for selection but I said to the chairman of selectors ‘I’m available but I completely understand if you pick someone else’.

“If I was in his situation and someone said they are not going to play next year, and it wasn’t a final or no chance of making a final, I wouldn’t have picked me either

“There is no hard feelings there.

“I’m in the squad, it is up to the powers that be to decide from there.”

Originally published as Cowan drops Tigers bombshell