‘It’s been a blast’: SA’s Dwaine Pretorius retires from international cricket

JOHANNESBURG – Proteas all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius has announced his retirement from international cricket.

The all-rounder represented South Africa across all three formats in 30 T20 Internationals, 27 One-Day Internationals and three Tests. He has also featured at two World Cups.

The 33-year-old will become a free agent and plans to ply his trade in T20 and other limited-overs leagues around the world. His performances for the Proteas have already seen him play in the Indian Premier League, The Hundred, Caribbean Premier League and the inaugural SA20, which gets under way this week.

“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 talent and a serious will to succeed. The rest was in his hands,” Pretorius said.

While admitting that the decision to walk away from the national team was a tough one to make, he said that it would enable him to have a better balance between his playing career and spending time with his wife and young son.

Since making his international debut in 2016, Pretorius has mostly impressed in T20s, where he holds the record for the best figures by a South African bowler with his 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.

“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 added