South Africa batter Mignon du Preez has announced her retirement from ODI and Test cricket with immediate effect. She made this decision to focus on her T20 game and to spend more time with the family.
After making her ODI debut in 2007, Du Preez last played in the recently-concluded ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2020, helping the Proteas Women to qualify for the semis. In eight matches of the multi-team tournament, she scored 161 runs, including a half-century against India.
Overall, the 32-year-old represented South Africa in 154 ODIs, scoring 3760 runs at an average of 32.98 with two centuries and 18 fifties. She also played one Test match, scoring 119 runs at an average of 59.50 with one century.
Du Preez shared the news of her retirement with fans on social media. “I’ve been wonderfully fortunate to play in four ICC ODI World Cups to date,” the statement read. “These have been some of my most treasured memories in life. I would however love to prioritise time with my family, and hopefully start a family of my own soon.
“I feel the time is right to announce my retirement from the longer format of the game and focus my attention on T20 cricket going forward. Thus, I decided to retire from ODI cricket at the completion of our recent World Cup in New Zealand. I feel South African women’s cricket is in a very healthy state and the time is right to step away and allow the next generation of exciting cricketers to continue to grow this beautiful game of ours.”
She lastly expressed her gratitude towards Cricket South Africa (CSA) for their continuous support during her ODI career. “I would like to take a moment to thank everyone at Cricket South Africa and the Board for their continuous support during my ODI career. I am extremely grateful for the honour to have represented my country in 154 ODI games and also for the opportunity to have captained my country at the highest level,” added Du Preez.
“Lastly, I would like to thank our management and my teammates for making my ODI journey a memorable one.”
