South Africa all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect on Monday (January 09). The 33-year-old made his international debut in 2016 and has represented South Africa across all three formats, including 30 T20 Internationals (T20Is), 27 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and three Tests.
The veteran all-rounder has played two World Cups for the Proteas. He holds the record for the best figures by a South African bowler in T20Is with 5/17 against Pakistan in 2021. Pretorius also picked up nine wickets in the T20 World cup last year.
The right-hander has 261 runs to his name in the shortest format at a strike rate of 164.15, and his performance for the rainbow nation has earned him a lot of admiration across the globe. He has played in various tournaments, including Indian Premier League (IPL), The Hundred, Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and will be soon seen representing Durban Super Giants in the inaugural SA20.
In his retirement statement, Pretorius expressed his gratitude towards former South African skipper Faf Du Plessis and thanked him for his support.
“A few days ago, I made one of the toughest decisions of my cricketing career. I have decided to retire from all forms of international cricket.Growing up, my only goal in life was to play for the Proteas. I didn’t know how it was going to happen, but God gave me talent and a serious will to succeed. The rest was in his hands,” Pretorius said in a statement released by CSA.
“A special mention goes to Faf Du Plessis, who brought me back after being let go from the international side the first time and who backed me and helped me become a better player; thank you,” he added.
