South Africa Women Cricket legend Mignon du Preez, on Friday, announced her retirement from all forms of international cricket after an astonishing career that spanned almost 16 years. Her last appearance for Proteas came at the inaugural Women’s Cricket T20 tournament in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Du Preez previously retired from Test and One-Day Internationals (ODI) earlier this year after taking part in the 2022 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. The Tshwane-born star has played 114 T20Is, scoring 1,805 runs at an average of 20.98, including seven half-centuries and a high score of 69 against Ireland at Solihull in 2014.
“Fifteen years of international cricket, wow, what a blessing it has been… it’s never an easy decision to step away from something you love as much as I love cricket, but I know in my heart that the time is right for me to announce my retirement from all forms of international cricket. However, I will still continue to play the shorter format of the game in the global leagues until such a time that I am blessed to become a mom and start a family of my own. I made my debut in 2007, and 15 years later, I announce my retirement,” said Du Preez in her statement shared by Cricket South Africa.
“To Northerns cricket union, thank you for being my home base since I was 10 years old and for naming a gate in my honour at SuperSsport park. To all my sponsors (past and present), I couldn’t have made it this far without you. Thank you for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to represent your brand. To the fans, thank you for your ongoing support through the highs, but especially during the lows. You guys drive us to be better cricketers.”
“To CSA, thank you for your continuous support, allowing me the opportunity to captain my country and for finally making women’s cricket a viable career option in SA. To SACA, thank you for always being a pillar of strength that players can rely on and for all the help to professionalize women’s cricket in South Africa. I will definitely miss the change room chats, the off-field friendships from all around the globe, travelling and learning about different cultures. However, I am extremely excited about the next phase of my life together with the ones that I love dearly and that have taken a back seat during the last 15 years of my career,” added Du Preez.
After 16 years in the green and gold of South Africa, Mignon du Preez announces her retirement from all forms of international cricket
Full Statement ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/DYD0r7jPeZ
— Proteas Women (@ProteasWomenCSA) December 9, 2022
