Shocking: Dwaine Pretorius retired from international cricket

• South African all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius has retired from international cricket.
• Pretorius played 60 times for South Africa.
• The 33-year-old was a member of the 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

Dwaine Pretorius, a South African all-rounder, has announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect.

Dwaine Pretorius has 60 South African caps across all three formats, appearing in 30 T20Is, 27 ODIs, and three Tests. Pretorius demonstrated his prowess with both the bat and the ball in international cricket, amassing 1895 runs and 77 wickets across formats.

Pretorius has been a regular in South Africa’s limited-overs cricket since making his international debut in 2016. He was a member of the 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup squads.

With nine wickets in five T20 World Cup matches, he finished as South Africa’s joint-highest wicket-taker. In the 2019 50-over tournament, he was named Player of the Match in South Africa’s match against Sri Lanka for figures of 3/25.

In Lahore in 2021, he had his first and only five-wicket haul in international cricket, which was his best performance in the shortest format. His 5/17 figures are currently the best for a South African player in men’s T20I cricket.

When the 33-year-old announced his retirement, he stated that he wanted to play more franchise cricket abroad “to have a better balance in my career and family life.”

“A few days ago, I made one of the toughest decisions of my cricketing career,” Pretorius said in a statement. I’ve decided to retire from international cricket in its entirety.

“When I was younger, my only ambition was to play for the Proteas. I had no idea how it would happen, but God blessed me with talent and a strong desire to succeed. The rest was up to him.

“For the rest of my career, I will concentrate on T20 and other shorter formats.”

We trained for countless hours with Hardus Viljoen, Chris Morris, Nicky van den Bergh, Rassie Van Der Dussen, Steven Cook, Tabraiz Shamsi, Anrich Nortje, Neil Mackenzie, and Andrea Agathagelou in an effort to achieve our goal of playing for the Proteas. Without your assistance and support, I would not be where I am today.

“A special mention goes to Faf Du Plessis, who brought me back after being released from the international team the first time, and who has supported and helped me become a better player; thank you.”

“I leave the Proteas knowing that every time I stepped onto the field, I gave it my all. From playing with broken toes, fingers, and torn muscles to carrying drinks, attending team meetings, and assisting other players wherever I could, I did it all. It’s been a lot of fun.

“Thank you to all of the fans for your love and support; you made it extra special.”

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