New Delhi: South African all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect saying that he wants to shift his focus to T20 and other shorter formats for the rest of his career. He has been part of the core T20 team of the Proteas and represented his national side in two World Cups.
#Proteas all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius retires from international cricket ??
“I made one of the toughest decisions of my cricketing career. I have decided to retire from all forms of international cricket.” – Pretorius ?️
Full statement ? https://t.co/2MgXNFqePe#BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/N4pX987Ktr
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) January 9, 2023
In his statement from Cricket South Africa (CSA), he said that being a free agent will help him in the short format to achieve his goal of becoming the best T20 player he can be. He added that this decision enables him to have a better balance between his career and family. He gave a special mention to former South Africa captain Faf Du Plessis, who backed Pretorius after being dropped from the international side. He thanked his teammates Hardus Viljoen, Chris Morris, Nicky van den Bergh, Tabraiz Shamsi, Anrich Nortje, Rassie van Der Dussen, Neil McKenzie, Stephen Cook, and his coaches.
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He left a heartfelt message on his retirement, saying that growing up, he wanted to play for the national side and God gave him the talent to do so. He added that from playing with broken fingers and torn muscles to carrying drinks, team meetings and helping other players, ‘it has been a blast.’ He thanked his fans for making it ‘extra special’ for him.
Pretorius played 30 T20Is, 27 ODIs and three Tests for South Africa, taking 77 wickets in all three formats. He holds the record for the best bowling figures for the Protes in T20Is, which are 5 for 17 against Pakistan. He has scored 261 runs in 17 T20I innings with a strike rate of 164.
? Best T20I figures in the bag
5⃣/1⃣7⃣
? Well bowled Dwaine Pretorius#PAKvSA #SeeMeOnThePitch pic.twitter.com/z7yuWC6r0P— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) February 14, 2021
While he missed the T20 World Cup due to an injury, he will be seen SA20, IPL for Chennai Super Kings and the Hundred for Welsh Fire.
