Taunton (England), Jul 10: South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher has been forced to retire from international cricket because of an eye injury.
In a statement read out by South Africa captain Graeme Smith on Tuesday, Boucher said the severity of the injury he suffered in a tour game against Somerset had ended his test career.
Boucher, who no longer plays international limited-overs cricket, would have reached 150 test appearances in the three-match series against England that was also expected to be his farewell tour.
Boucher sustained a ruptured left eyeball when he was struck by a bail standing up to the stumps to legspinner Imran Tahir on Monday.
He underwent surgery for nearly three hours to repair the damage, but Cricket South Africa said the long-term prognosis for Boucher was "unclear."
