On his emotions today...

I wouldn't say I was nervous. I came to the realization a long time ago that this was going to be my last game. I prepared myself. You're playing a team game and my main focus today was to get the team a victory, see if we can set the tone for the next couple of months. We'll be playing against England, and the guys could leave here with some sort of semblance of a positive team moving forward. I still think it was a very good game.

Personally, I was calm. I wanted to put an innings together, I wasn't going to play any rash shots or anything like that, just play each ball on its merit. Things didn't work out, unfortunately I got run out. These things happen, but I felt good; I felt comfortable and as the day went on, I knew I had made the right decision. I knew that it was the right time to call it a day and to let the younger players take West Indies cricket and maybe we can see some change in the near future.

On what has been so special about Kensington Oval...

This venue, you're growing up and West Indies was dominating cricket but there was always a fight to win in Guyana, a fight to win in Trinidad, it served the spinners well, but Barbados...Kensington Oval, you always heard that the tourists didn't want go there at all, and it was the 'Mecca' of cricket for the Caribbean and I really and truly wanted to play a Test match at Kensington, and not just one Test match, I wanted to do really well.

This venue is special. Today is the second time I've played in the new stadium but Kensington Oval is definitely for me the 'Mecca' of cricket in the Caribbean and hosting the finals is a very, very good idea by the WICB and the organizers.

I have wonderful moments here. My 153* is classed as one of the best innings that I have played and I have enjoyed it. I've enjoyed seeing no one in the stadium for four or five days and West Indies with a victory against South Africa in 1992. I think that was also very special. I think that might have been my first Test match here. Even though the scene was unfortunate, I think the spirit in the team and the fight we showed on that particular day was excellent. Kensington Oval would be one of the first places I would be travelling, just 35 mins away from Trinidad, to see my next Test match.

On if he has thought about life without the bat...

Yes, I have. I think I have played for a pretty long time, put together something like 430 matches for the West Indies and I have enjoyed it. I knew it must come to an end at some point in time, and yes I have thought about it. I have got my daughter here to spend a lot more time with her. I have got a few business interests in its genesis period and hopefully I would be able to spend more time with it and move on with life.

I don't see myself regretting this decision. I have enjoyed my time, and I'm going to enjoy life after cricket.

On what happened in the last few weeks or months, to make him change his mind from retiring not just from One Day cricket, but from Test cricket as well...

First of all, our One Day game was not progressing quite well before the World Cup. We got to the DLF Cup final in September, and the ICC Champions Trophy Final. We had a little bit of a hiccup in Pakistan and in India for a few One Day games, but I thought that we were well set for leaving the World Cup a successful team, if not winning the World Cup, getting at least to the semi finals or finals and I thought that was the right time to leave the team on a high and move forward and see what we can do within the Test arena.

The result of course didn't turn out as expected. West Indies cricket is at a stage where I think change is necessary and it looks like we will have a young captain, I don't know, someone under the age of 30 years, and he would need to mould his team along with the support group that he needs, and I just thought that there is no need for me to be out there physically.

There is nothing much I could do to help at present. As I said, I have unconditional love for West Indies cricket and I'm looking forward to playing a part at any point in time. I'd like to have a bit of a break away though away from the game. It's just a matter of allowing the team that change that is needed, and maybe this is just one of it. Maybe there is a lot more to take place. But I just see no reason for me to carry on at this point in time.

On what his message is to the upcoming youngsters...

It's to play the game with passion and commitment. I think it's important that when I started playing cricket, I had a great love for it through my Dad. He sort of lived vicariously through me. He had six other boys and they all played a bit of cricket but I think they stopped at club level or village level. When I first picked up the bat, the sort of support I had from him was tremendous.

It's the commitment that is needed from the youngsters, but most importantly, for anyone to get anywhere, I think the parents need to play a very important part. The support that I got from my parents – the late Pearl and Bunty – was tremendous and Agnes, my sister who took me to Harvard Coaching Clinic, I have so much to thank them for.

Yes, I want to see the youngsters with passion and commitment, but I think they need the support from their parents and from schoolmasters and wherever they can get it from to play this game, and to get anywhere at all.