The South African all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius has decided to hang his boots from international cricket on Monday from international cricket with immediate effect. The 33-year-old, who made his international debut in 2016, has represented South Africa across all three formats in 30 T20Is, 27 ODIs, and three Tests. He has also featured in a couple of World Cups.

In his statement, announcing his retirement, Dwaine Pretorius said, “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 the talent and a serious will to succeed. The rest was in his hands.”

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He further added, “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.”

 

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Dwaine Pretorius also expressed gratitude towards former skipper Faf du Plessis as he said, “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.”

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The Proteas all-rounder holds the record for the best figures by a South African bowler in T20Is with his spell of 5-17 against Pakistan in 2021. Later that year, he went on to pick up nine wickets in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the UAE. He also has 261 runs to his name at a strike rate of 164.15.

Dwaine Pretorius has also been a part of various franchise-based tournaments like Indian Premier League (IPL), The Hundred, the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), and most recently the inaugural SA20.