Boyd Rankin has revealed that he considered retiring from cricket shortly after making his England Test debut during the winter's Ashes series.
The 29-year-old battled with cramp and a shoulder injury throughout the fifth Test in Sydney, and he admits that the experience of suffering that disappointment in the 281-run defeat made him feel that he had let his teammates down.
"I wasn't anywhere near where I wanted to be in that Sydney game," Rankin told ESPN. "I had torn half the cartilage off my shoulder in a fielding session we had a couple of days before the Test. So I was struggling with that and I had a back spasm during the Test as well.
"I felt I had to play. I had to take my chance, but I don't suppose I did that, really. I tried to fight hard through that. It was still a special occasion for me, but I did feel I let myself and the rest of the team down. It's been tough coming back from that.
"It was a tough period for me when I got back. There were a few days when I was thinking 'should I still be playing cricket?' There were quite a few questions asked. But I learned a lot from the experience and I believe it has made me a stronger person."
Rankin returned from a five-month absence for Warwickshire earlier this week.
