The 33-year-old thanked his coaches, teammates and family for supporting him and had a special thank you for Faf du Plessis.
On Monday, South African all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius announced his retirement from international cricket, effective immediately. The 33-year-old, who made his debut in 2016, had a successful career representing South Africa in 30 T20 Internationals (T20I), 27 One-Day Internationals (ODI) and three Tests, as well as two World Cups.
“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.
“I am shifting my focus to T20 and other shorter formats for the rest of my career. Being a free agent will help me achieve the goal of being the best short format player I can be. By doing this, I will be able to have a better balance in my career and family life.I would like to thank everyone who played a big role in my career,” he added.
Pretorius also showed gratitude to former captain Faf du Plessis, saying, “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.”
Pretorius holds the record for the best figures by a South African bowler in T20Is with his remarkable 5-17 against Pakistan in 2021. Later that year, he went on to pick up an impressive nine wickets in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the UAE. He also has an impressive 261 runs to his name at a strike-rate of 164.15.
He has also been a part of some of the world's most prestigious cricket leagues, including the Indian Premier League, The Hundred, Caribbean Premier League, and most recently the inaugural SA20.
Pretorius is likely to have a hectic cricket schedule for the next eight months. The SA20 begins on Tuesday and runs until February 11, the IPL begins in March and ends in May or early June, and the Hundred begins in August. Meanwhile, South Africa will host England, the West Indies, the Netherlands, and Australia before the ODI World Cup in October.
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