South Africa All-Rounder Dwaine Pretorius Announces Retirement From International Cricket

The
33-year-old,
who
has
represented
South
Africa
in
all
three
formats,
will
still
continue
to
play
in
the
T20
leagues
across
the
world
including
the
Indian
Premier
League
(IPL),
where
he
is
part
of
the
Chennai
Super
Kings
(CSK)
squad
for
IPL
2023.

Pretorius
has
played
30
T20
Internationals
(T20I),
27
One-Day
Internationals
(ODI),
three
Tests
and
has
also
featured
in
two
World
Cups.
The
all-rounder
has
aggregated
1895
runs
and
scalped
77
wickets
across
formats
since
making
his
debut
in
2016.

Pretorius
impressed
the
most
in
the
T20I
arena
and
holds
the
record
for
the
best
figures
by
a
South
African
bowler
in
T20Is
with
his
5-17
against
Pakistan
in
2021.

In
2021,
he
also
went
on
to
pick
up
nine
wickets
in
the
T20
World
Cup
in
UAE.
He
also
has
261
runs
to
his
name
at
a
strike
rate
of
164.15.

Pretorius
terms
the
retirement
as
one
of
the
decisions
of
his
cricketing
career,
but
added
that
this
allow
him
to
focus
on
the
shorter
formats
of
the
game
around
the
world.

“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,”
Dwaine
Pretorius
said
in
an
official
statement
released
by
CSA.

“I
didn’t
know
how
it
was
going
to
happen,
but
God
gave
me
a
talent
and
a
serious
will
to
succeed.
The
rest
was
in
his
hands.
I
am
shifting
my
focus
to
T20
and
other
shorter
formats
for
the
rest
of
my
career.”

Pretorius
aims
to
be
best
T20
free
agent

His
performances
for
the
Proteas
have
earned
him
stints
in
leagues
around
the
world,
including
the
IPL,
The
Hundred,
Caribbean
Premier
League
and
most
recently,
the
inaugural
Betway
SA20.

And
the
33-year-old
hopes
to
continue
to
doing
that
as
a
free
agent,
which
will
allow
him
to
have
a
better
balance
in
his
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.
These
are
all
the
coaches,
trainers
and
physios
who
supported
me,”
he
said.

Pretorius
thanks
family
and
teammates

Pretorius
added
that
throughout
his
career,
the
players
he
has
played
with
and
against
left
a
deep
impact
on
his
career.

“All
the
players
I
have
played
with
and
against
over
the
years
you
have
had
an
impact
on
my
career.
It’s
so
difficult
to
highlight
only
one
or
two
because
there
are
so
many
players
that
had
an
impact,
but
I
can
mention
a
few
I
was
fortunate
to
spend
a
lot
of
time
with:

“Hardus
Viljoen,
Chris
Morris,
Nicky
van
den
Bergh,
Rassie
Van
Der
Dussen,
Steven
Cook,
Tabraiz
Shamsi,
Anrich
Nortje,
Neil
Mackenzie.

“And
a
special
mention
has
to
go
to
Andrea
Agathagelou,
we
spent
hours
and
hours
training
together
in
an
effort
to
reach
our
goal
in
playing
for
the
Proteas.
Without
a
doubt
I
would
not
be
where
I
am
today
without
all
your
help
and
support,”
Pretorius
added.

Expressing
his
gratitude
for
the
support
he
received
from
his
family,
Pretorious
credited
former
South
Africa
skipper
Faf
Du
Plessis
with
helping
him
become
a
better
player.

“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.

“To
my
Mom,
Dad
and
Brother.
During
my
early
cricket
playing
days
you
made
so
many
sacrifices
to
help
me
reach
my
dream.
Driving
all
over
North
West
and
South
Africa
supporting
me,
spending
December
holidays
next
to
the
cricket
field
and
so
much
more.
Without
your
support
I
would
have
never
gotten
to
where
I
am.

“Lastly
my
Wife
and
son.
You
have
supported
me
all
the
way,
never
letting
me
feel
bad
about
being
away
for
weeks
and
months
at
a
time.
No
matter
how
hard
it
was,
you
always
kept
encouraging
and
supporting
me,”
Pretorius
said.

He
said
every
time
he
represented
the
Proteas,
he
gave
his
everything
for
them.
He
thanked
his
fans
for
their
support
and
love
and
making
his
career
‘extra
special’.

“I
leave
the
Proteas
team
knowing
that
every
time
I
stepped
onto
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,”
Pretorius
said.

CSA
thanks
Pretorius

“We
would
like
to
thank
Dwaine
for
all
his
services
to
South
African
cricket.
He
has
always
represented
the
badge
with
the
utmost
pride,
determination
and
commitment,
leaving
everything
on
the
field
every
time
he
pulled
on
the
Proteas
shirt,”
CSA
Director
of
Cricket
Enoch
Nkwe
said.

“His
all-round
ability
added
to
his
value
as
a
player
and
his
quality
will
no
doubt
be
missed.
Go
well
Dwaine,
we
wish
you
well
in
the
next
step
of
your
career.”