In a sudden change of events, South African bowler Dwayne Pretorious has announced his retirement from international cricket. The South African pacer has taken this decision as he wants to shift his focus towards franchise cricket and shorter formats for the rest of his career. Interestingly Dwaine Pretorius holds the record for best bowling figures for Proteas in men's T20Is (5/17 vs PAK).
Dwaine Pretorious in a social media post wrote:
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, he said. "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. I leave the Proteas team knowing that every time I stepped on to the field, I gave everything I had in me. From playing with broken toes, fingers, and torn muscles, to carrying drinks, team meetings, and helping other players wherever I could. It has been a blast. Thank you to all the fans for your support and love -you made it extra special.
Pretorious also opened up about his franchise cricket goals and said:
Operating as a free agent will help me achieve the goal of being the best short format player I can be and by taking this path I will be able to have a better balance in my career and family life.
Pretorious has played for the Proteas in 30 T20Is, 27 ODIs, and three Tests. In his short career, he has scalped 77 wickets across formats and he has also featured in two World Cups. Leading up to the 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup, Pretorious was South Africa's first-choice all-rounder, but he fractured his thumb and lost his place to youngster Marco Jansen. In the 2021 World Cup, Pretorious was South Africa's go-to bowler as far as the death overs were concerned.
