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He retires as Netherlands’ highest run-getter in T20I cricket, with 1239 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2022Netherlands batter Ben Cooper, 29, has announced his retirement from international cricket.”Today, I announce my retirement from international cricket,” Cooper posted on Twitter. “It has been an absolute honour and privilege to don the oranges and represent the Netherlands for the last eight years.”It’s been a time filled with amazing highs, special moments and tough lows. There’s nothing I would change about it and will look back at my time with very fond memories.”@kncbcricket thank you for the opportunity to live out a childhood dream. To my Netherlands team-mates and coaches (past and present) I thank you all for the amazing memories and couldn’t ask for better people to share the field and change rooms with. I have no doubt the current squad and talent coming through will continue to achieve great things for Dutch cricket.”Cooper, who was born in New South Wales, made his international debut for Netherlands in an ODI in August 2013, against Canada. In all, he played 71 white-ball internationals for Netherlands, scoring 1426 runs. He retires as Netherlands’ highest run-getter in T20I cricket, with 1239 runs at an average of 28.15 and strike rate of just under 125.His last game was at the T20 World Cup in the UAE, where Netherlands failed to qualify for the Super 12s last year. Cooper’s retirement follows that of Ryan Tendoeschate who ended his playing career after the T20 World Cup and switched to coaching.

The two-Test series which is part of the World Test Championship is Bangladesh’s fourth postponement since March

Mohammad Isam23-Jun-2020New Zealand’s two-Test tour of Bangladesh, which was scheduled in August-September as part of the ICC World Test Championship, has been postponed for a later date amid the Covid-19 pandemic.Cricket has been suspended since mid-March in Bangladesh, with the Shere Bangla National Stadium, cricket’s headquarters in the country, well within a virus “red zone”. Bangladesh has crossed the 100,000 mark for total number of coronavirus cases, with over 1,500 deaths attributed to the pandemic so far.BCB’s chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury said that the board considered the health and safety of the players when deciding on the postponement.”In the present Covid-19 pandemic scenario, hosting a full cricket series in August 2020 will be a challenge in terms of preparations and we cannot take chances with the safety and health of players, support staff and related stakeholders,” Chowdhury said.”Under these circumstances, the BCB and NZC have felt that the best way forward would be to defer the series. We realise that this will be hugely disappointing for the players and officials of both teams, not to mention the fans of the two nations but I must thank NZC for its understanding and for recognising the rationale behind such a decision.”This is Bangladesh’s fourth postponement since March, following the second Test against Pakistan in Karachi (April), Ireland and UK tour (May) and Australia’s tour of Bangladesh (June). Their tour to Sri Lanka, scheduled for July-August, is still in doubt.New Zealand have also had several deferrals including the cancellation of the Chappell-Hadlee series in March after one ODI. They have postponed their Europe tour (Netherlands, Ireland and Scotland) and a tour to the West Indies.

ESPNcricinfo’s live updates on the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy games

Sruthi Ravindranath25-Nov-2019

The former Sussex captain and England allrounder replaces Beau Casson and will arrive in Australia next month

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2019Michael Yardy, the former Sussex captain and England allrounder, has been named New South Wales batting coach, replacing Beau Casson who has decided to return to Western Australia for family reasons.Yardy, 38, has been Sussex batting coach since early 2017 and has been combining that with his role as the 2nd XI coach since the 2018 English season, while also working with the England Young Lions. He will link up with New South Wales next month in preparation for the Australian domestic season which starts in October.”I would like to thank the club for giving me the opportunity to coach at Sussex, a place which will always be very special to me and my family and which is deeply ingrained within me,” Yardy said. “I’m immensely proud to have played a part in the emergence of a number of young batsmen, from players being called up to England to seeing talented young lads start their journey with debuts and achieving landmarks across all formats.”Alongside my role at Sussex, I have immensely enjoyed my work with England Young Lions as batting coach. I leave both roles knowing the players I’ve worked with are in a good place to continue to progress. Now I am excited about and looking forward to the opportunity to work at New South Wales, which is an outstanding organisation. It was an opportunity I couldn’t afford to let pass by.”Yardy scored more than 10,000 first-class in a 15-year Sussex career alongside captaining the club from 2009 to 2012. He played 28 ODIs and 14 T20Is for England, and was part of the team which won the 2010 World T20 in the Caribbean, before his international career was ended due to clinical depression which curtailed his 2011 World Cup. He has since done much work to raise awareness of mental health.Casson was appointed batting coach last August amid a backroom restructuring at NSW. He played an important part in the breakthrough season for Kurtis Patterson, who forced his way into Australia’s Test team, scoring a century in his second match against Sri Lanka, and is now pushing for an Ashes berth. Casson has also worked with the state at a time when they have a number of emerging young batsmen including Jason Sangha and Jack Edwards.Cricket NSW general manager of cricket performance, David Moore, said: “We’ve got seven or eight really good players under the age of 21 at the moment that we think are going to be good players and we think Mike is going to be able to add his experience, not just technically and tactically, but really how he thinks about the game, how he devises his innings.”He’s coached at Premier League level in the UK, he’s coached Academy level, he’s coached at 2nd XI level and he’s also been involved with the Sussex first XI, so we’re very lucky that we’ve got someone of such experience and development. We’re obviously looking for Mike to come in and fit into the team beautifully, which we’re sure he will and…to assist in the development of players that are going to play for Australia and help us win Shield titles.”Sussex director of cricket Keith Greenfield said: “Yards has been a hugely important and committed part of Sussex’s journey for the best part of three decades in his roles as player, captain and latterly as coach.”We wish him well with his new opportunity in Australia as he strives to become the best coach possible and, one day, a head coach. We’re delighted at Sussex to have helped him on his way to those goals.”

Sussex have confirmed that they have granted permission for Rory Hamilton-Brown to have talks with Surrey about a move to the Oval that will see Hamilton-Brown takeover as captain.

Cricinfo staff09-Dec-2009Sussex have granted permission for Rory Hamilton-Brown, the 22-year-old allrounder, to talk to Surrey about a move to the Oval that will see Hamilton-Brown take over as captain.Hamilton-Brown has played just eight first-class games and is currently with England’s performance squad in Pretoria as a level B player, meaning the selectors view him as being one to three years away from international level.Sussex, who signed Hamilton-Brown from Surrey in 2008, did not welcome the approach initially, saying they had no intention of losing Hamilton-Brown and had already offered him an improved contract before Surrey’s approach.On Wednesday, Jim May, the Sussex chairman, reiterated the club’s position but admitted they would have to allow Hamilton-Brown to speak to Surrey.”The position of Sussex remains unchanged in that we have no wish to see a player of Rory’s potential leave the Club and our immediate aim is to agree an extended contract with him,” he said. “However, we recognise that to achieve this aim it is appropriate to give Rory time to talk to Surrey about their opportunity.”At this stage, the Club has granted permission to talk only. We remain strongly of the view that Rory’s cricket development is best served by remaining at Sussex and we will be meeting him subsequent to his meetings with Surrey to discuss matters further.”

We have what we often cry out for, a T20I outside the World Cup with something on the line

Danyal Rasool01-Sep-20220:29

Pakistan players sweat it out in the nets

Big picture

It still feels like early days in the Asia Cup, but one of Hong Kong or Pakistan will see their tournament draw to a close on Friday. The format for the first round means one defeat can place any side under instant pressure. With India having pulled clear through wins over both opponents, there is clarity to the mission for both the Associate and the Full Member, the giants and the would-be giant killers.There may be limited cricketing or historical evidence to suggest Hong Kong could mount a serious challenge to a side with Pakistan’s firepower, but they will be well aware a knockout in the shortest format presents a golden opportunity to spring an upset. Against India, it was the bowling that let them down, even if a spirited batting performance demonstrated the threat the side can pose. Babar Hayat, Zeeshan Ali and Scott McKechnie provided the big hitting, while Ayush Shukla, Ehsan Khan and Yasim Murtaza kept things tight, allowing just 82 runs in their 12 combined overs.

Watch live on ESPN+

If you are in the USA, you can watch the Hong Kong-Pakistan game live on ESPN+, both in English and Hindi.

Pakistan, however, might feel this game plays into their hands to some extent. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan do not come flying out of the blocks, but the template they follow was similar to one that India executed against Hong Kong on Wednesday. They opened their innings conservatively, before the middle order put the bowlers to the sword, smashing 98 in the final seven overs. And while India’s approach may have been a game plan tailored to the opposition they were facing, scoring their big runs in the final overs is how Pakistan play anyway against nearly all opposition.And so we have what we often cry out for, a T20I outside the World Cup with something on the line. It might, on paper, be a mismatch, but across the tableau of relatively context-free bilateral T20Is, it is rare to find a game with as much riding on it as Pakistan against Hong Kong on Friday. It’s a game Hong Kong will savour, but they will tell themselves it might just be one they could also win.

Form guide

Pakistan: LLWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)

Hong Kong: LWWWL

In the spotlight

At his best, Khushdil Shah is perhaps Pakistan’s most powerful hitter of the ball, but in Pakistan’s colours in T20I cricket, he has never come close to hitting those heights. In the game against India, which saw a limp performance from almost every Pakistan batter, Khushdil’s innings – a timid 2 off 7 balls – still stood out for its total lack of intent. Perhaps a game against Hong Kong, whose bowlers don’t quite offer the same threat as India’s is just what he needs to produce a statement innings.Kinchit Shah has come into the Asia Cup on the back of some decent form•AFP/Getty Images

Hong Kong vice-captain Kinchit Shah has had a memorable time of late. The allrounder was in decent form at the Asia Cup qualifiers and the Cricket World Cup Challenge Group, striking a half-century against Uganda and 139 against Bermuda, and picking up a four-wicket haul against Kenya. He was steady, if not quite explosive, with the bat against India, scoring 30 in 28 balls. Off the field too, things have been good. After the game against India, he proposed to his partner. A win against Pakistan to go through to the next stage would cap a blissful few days for Kinchit, both personal and professional.

Pitch and conditions

The weather is expected to be oppressively hot throughout the tournament, and Friday in Sharjah will be no different. The slower bowlers have tended to prosper here of late, although the small boundaries might be a temptation for the batters too

Team news

There’s a cloud around Naseem Shah’s fitness. In the event of his absence, Mohammad Hasnain would be the like-for-like replacement.Pakistan: (probable): 1 Babar Azam (capt) 2 Mohammad Rizwan (wk) 3 Fakhar Zaman 4 Iftikhar Ahmed 5 Khushdil Shah 6 Shadab Khan 7 Asif Ali 8 Mohammad Nawaz 9 Mohammad Hasnain 10 Haris Rauf 11 Shahnawaz DahaniDespite the defeat to India, Hong Kong will have been encouraged by their performance, with the bat in particular. Expect an unchanged side.Hong Kong (possible): 1 Nizakat Khan (capt) 2 Yasim Murtaza 3 Babar Hayat 4 Kinchit Shah 5 Aizaz Khan 6 Zeeshan Ali 7 Scott McKechnie (wk) 8 Haroon Arshad 9 Ehsan Khan 10 Ayush Shuka 11 Mohammad Ghazanfar

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan are yet to win a T20I in 2022. The two games they played in the format – against India and Australia – have ended in defeat
• Haris Rauf is five wickets shy of matching Shaheen Afridi’s T20I tally of 47. Should he get there against Hong Kong, it will have taken him five fewer innings than Shaheen to get there.

Match referee Chris Broad noted how the fifth ball of the match threw up a puff of dust and kept deteriorating further

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-20233:27

Chopra: If every Test lasts only two-and-a-half days, there is a problem

The pitch at Indore used for third Test between India and Australia has been rated “poor” by the ICC with Holkar Stadium handed three demerit points.The Test ended midway through the first session of the third day with Australia winning by nine wickets in a game dominated by the spinners.”The pitch, which was very dry, did not provide a balance between bat and ball, favouring spinners from the start,” ICC match referee Chris Broad said.”The fifth ball of the match broke through the pitch surface and continued to occasionally break the surface providing little or no seam movement and there was excessive and uneven bounce throughout the match.”

The ICC rates a pitch as poor if any of the following criteria apply

The pitch offers excessive seam movement at any stage of the match

The pitch displays excessive unevenness of bounce for any bowler at any stage of the match

The pitch offers excessive assistance to spin bowlers, especially early in the match

The pitch displays little or no seam movement or turn at any stage in the match together with no significant bounce or carry, thereby depriving the bowlers of a fair contest between bat and ball

The pitch displays excessive moisture making its playing characteristics unpredictable, or excessive dryness leading to the surface to deteriorate.

BCCI now have 14 days if they wish to appeal against the sanction. A venue will be suspended from hosting any international cricket for a period of 12 months if it accumulates five or more demerit points over a five-year rolling period.Indore was given short notice about hosting the third match of the Border-Gavaskar series. Originally it was supposed to take place in Dharamsala, but the outfield is not yet up to par after it was relaid. The BCCI announced the shifting of the venue on February 13, about two weeks before the scheduled start of the game on March 1.India prefer playing their home Tests in conditions that take turn right from day one. That certainly was the case at Holkar stadium when the home team having won the toss and opting to bat slipped to 84 for 7 in just the first session. At the lunch interval, India coach Rahul Dravid was seen inspecting the pitch with the curator in tow.The captain, though, though minced no words when talking about the 22 yards. “Honestly speaking, these are the kind of pitches we want to play on,” Rohit Sharma said. “This is our strength, so when you’re playing at your home, you always play to your strength, not worry about what people outside are talking about.”Steven Smith observes the Indore pitch ahead of the Test match•Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Australia’s stand-in captain Steven Smith didn’t mind the conditions either. “I personally really enjoy playing on these kind of wickets,” he said. “I prefer this than just a genuine flat wicket that goes five days and can be boring in stages. There’s always something happening on these wickets. You’ve got to really work hard for your runs. But it’s showed that the guys can do it. Guys can do it, you’ve got to work hard for them and you need some luck. With this one, whether it might have been a little bit too extreme, potentially from the first ball. I’m not really entirely sure, but it was still another enjoyable.”But in terms of a balance between bat and ball, the uneven degree of both turn and bounce led to only two scores of fifty or more in the entire Test match. India’s total of 109 was their sixth-lowest in a first innings at home. Australia, in their first innings, suffered a collapse of 6 for 11. Spin was responsible for all but five of the 31 wickets that fell and there were, in total, 16 single-digit scores by the time the game ended on the third morning.The last time a pitch in India was rated poor was in 2017, the Pune Test where Australia beat India on a similarly spiteful turner. Broad was the one who handed out that sanction as well.Nagpur and Delhi, the venues for the first two Tests of this tour in 2023, produced surfaces which were rated “average” by match referee Andy Pycroft.

“We’ve got to move on quite quickly… but I think it’s important that the guys enjoy it”

Matt Roller15-Oct-20231:27

What made the Afghanistan spinners so good against England?

Afghanistan’s fixture list sees them play New Zealand in Chennai less than 72 hours after they pulled off the most famous win in the country’s sporting history by beating England in Delhi on Sunday night. But their coach Jonathan Trott’s message to his players was simple: “It’s important that you celebrate your victories.”Despite having won only one of their previous 17 matches at World Cups before their 69-run victory over the defending champions, Afghanistan’s ambition in this tournament was to qualify for the semi-finals. As a result, Trott admitted he needed to guard against complacency when they head south.And yet, drawing on the experience of his own playing career, Trott said that it was only right that his players should bask in their success. “I’m very keen not to put a dampener on things or tell them to focus on the next game,” Trott said. “I know from my career and my experience, I never soaked up enough, or enjoyed moments [like these].Related

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“I’m certainly going to say to the guys, ‘enjoy tonight, spend some time together, whatever you want to do.’ As soon as we land in Chennai, in 12-18 hours’ time, we switch on for the next game and it’s back to business. It’s important you celebrate your victories, because they’re so hard and they’re always such a challenge.”We’ve got to move on quite quickly… but I think it’s important that the guys enjoy it. But also, [that they] take stock and realise when they get a certain amount of things right in the 50 overs or the 100 overs, what they can achieve and the level of teams that they can put under pressure and compete with and win cricket matches.”The spin trio of Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman did the trick for Afghanistan•Getty Images

Trott suggested that his players had benefited from the experience of playing with and against England’s players in franchise leagues, realising that despite their status as world champions, they were “human” too. “They get to know the ins and outs of each player, so there’s that familiarity and also the confidence,” he said.”Sometimes, I think when you see big Test-playing nations, you hold them in high regard. Playing with players like that, you see that they are human, and you are just as entitled to win or do well [as they are]… that’s the beauty of the World Cup, isn’t it? That’s what cricket is about.”I’m just chuffed with the players. The things that we’ve spoken about as a side, we’ve agreed if we get these things right, we can compete with anybody in the world. These guys work incredibly hard. I’m really impressed with them. They will see the rewards, and this will encourage them to kick on even more.”Trott also acknowledged the bigger picture of Afghanistan’s win. Last weekend, over 1,000 people were killed and many more injured in an earthquake in the west of the country. The players wore black armbands in memory of the victims during their defeat to India on Wednesday, and several players have donated substantially to relief efforts.”It’s not just cricket that the guys are playing for,” Trott said. “The guys are very knowledgeable of the things and the hardship that some people are going through because of the natural disaster, and for various other reasons. If this can give a smile to people’s faces anywhere in the world, but also encourage boys and girls to pick up a cricket bat or a cricket ball and get playing cricket wherever they are in Afghanistan, then that’s the goal that’s been achieved.”It’s very pleasing. There’s a lot of confidence that will hopefully come from this when competing against the bigger nations and it’ll have a knock-on effect to all the other games – not only in this World Cup, but for the future as well. [It shows] just what Afghanistan cricket can achieve… we don’t fear anyone. Every game we are here to play, and we are here to win.”

In the many recriminations and deliberations that followed the Newlands scandal, there was little doubt that Bancroft had the hardest road back to regaining a place in the Australian team

Daniel Brettig27-Jul-2019Seventeen months ago, Cameron Bancroft sat in a room at the WACA Ground, flanked by the state’s chief executive Christina Matthews, and conveyed his greatest disappointment about the Newlands ball tampering scandal in which he had been a pivotal figure.”Through the last few days, sitting in my own company, the thing that breaks my heart the most is that I have given up my spot in the team for somebody else for free,” he said. “People know that I’ve worked so hard to be able to get to this stage in my career, and to know that I have just given somebody an opportunity for free is devastating for me.”In the many recriminations and deliberations that followed the scandal, there was little doubt that Bancroft had the hardest road back to regaining a place in the Australian team. For while Steven Smith and David Warner were acknowledged as world class talents, Bancroft was a batsman still making his way, struggling as much as thriving in his first eight matches against England and South Africa. Countless others had the chance to bar Bancroft from returning through their own performance.Yet Bancroft never lost sight of his goal – keeping his baggy green cap in full view at home in Perth, then carrying it with him to a county stint with Durham. Through runs there, and then by wearing numerous blows to the body in making the unbeaten 93 on a fiendish Southampton pitch, Bancroft convinced the selectors he was worthy of a return, foiling the likes of Joe Burns, Kurtis Patterson, Peter Handscomb and Will Pucovski in the process. He’s got his spot back, and has no intention of giving it away “for free” again.”It’s good motivation isn’t it, to look at it and go ‘yeah i’m playing cricket but there’s something bigger I eventually want to be able to get back to’,” Bancroft said of his cap. “I guess it was good motivation to keep working hard, keep training. yeah. whenever that happened, it was out of my control. it was just a bit of inspiration and motivation to keep my goals and keep focused.”At home it’s got its little spot that it sits in outside my bedroom. yeah I kept it there . It’s something you’re obviously very proud of it. it’s a very prestigious item to have and you take good care of it because it means something to you. So that’s kind of how I dealt with that and being able to see that is obviously really good to focus your goals and where you want to be going.”Definitely times when I was challenged a lot. but like anything, you go through those moments the best you can. You learn a bit about what you need to do to keep moving forward, and just take it day by day really. If you ask me 18 months ago if I’d be sitting here, it was probably the last thing from my mind.”Ask Bancroft about Australian cricket culture since Newlands, and the response is instructive. He focuses not on fitting in around others, but on doing the right things in his own mind. Through the tribulations of the past year or so, including the loss of his contract with Durham for 2018, reinstated this year, Bancroft also learned to be somewhat less obsessive about the game. “One of the big lessons that I learnt last year was about being true to yourself,” Bancroft said.Steven Smith and Cameron Bancroft could end up in the same Australia XI once more•Getty Images

“There is no doubt that I wasn’t as true to myself as I could have been at times. You learn from those mistakes that you make and you try and be better moving forward. At the end of the day, what you do and your actions is completely up to you. I made a mistake and I’ll learn from it and move forward and get better.”I think being serious about cricket is important but I think it’s also about being able to realise the game is just a game of cricket. There’s certainly other parts of your life that you can value, that are important too. I definitely connected with more of that last year and certainly opened up new avenues that I hadn’t done before. They’ve brought a lot of enjoyment and happiness to my life, so for that it was a good experience and i’d like to think it’s helped me enjoy cricket in a different way.”Those avenues included meditation and yoga, accompanied by running plenty of kilometres (about 35 a week) to maintain the fitness and strength that helped make Bancroft one of the most durable batsmen in the Australian system. All these things helped build resilience, not only to the ball hurled down at him, but the volleys of abuse he faced with Durham that will doubtless be multiplied during the heat of an Ashes series in England.”Sure, there were times when people booed or what not, or ask you to sign pieces of sandpaper, stuff like that. But it doesn’t faze me. I just get on with it,” Bancroft said.”It doesn’t bother me too much. It is what it is. People will react how they want to react. Hopefully I can use it if people want to be like that, to give you energy to perform well. I can’t control that. I guess the journey that I’ve been through over the last 18 months, you get exposed to things like that. I’ll just deal with it and keep moving forward.”I think how people want to feel about that and react, I guess, is really how they want to deal with that. For me it’s just about playing good cricket. That’s kind of where I’m at right now. That’s definitely the thing that I can change and impact on moving forward, so that’s certainly where my focus will be right now.”Dealing with a moving ball was something central to Bancroft’s desire to return to Durham, and the lessons of the stint were writ large across his Southampton innings. Playing the ball late, judging the whereabouts of his off stump, leaning gently, head over the ball, into his drives, Bancroft combined physical toughness with the light touch required to avoid edges, pads and stumps being exposed to quality bowlers.Cameron Bancroft plays through the off side•Getty Images/NurPhoto

“I’ve worked on a lot of parts to my game, where my bat comes down, my back-foot play, how I move my feet, everything,” Bancroft said. “You’re just fine-tuning all those details to be a better cricketer. I’ve had a lot of time to be off the park and in the nets to do that and I guess each time you play is an opportunity to make that a part of your batting. That learning process is never ending and I’ll keep working hard.”Certainly up in Durham, dealing with sideways movement is part of batting up there. You don’t always feel like you’re 100% on top of the bowling or the game but you just do the best you can while feeling a little bit uncomfortable out there, not feeling in complete control. I think they were the conditions in Southampton and it was nice to be able to do that and I’m sure I learned a lot at Durham. There were times out there when i felt like ‘I’ve seen this before, this is like batting at the Riverside a little bit. That’s learning i guess.”I’d certainly much rather get hit than get out at times, so yeah. It was just – there’s certainly a bit of luck involved. No doubt about it on a pitch like that – and I had my fair share of luck, no doubt about it. You just stick to a game plan you think’s going to be successful out there and as much as the ball was going up and down – frighteningly at times – the ball just nipping back and being able to attack your stumps, for me was far more dangerous than worrying about the ball was that bouncing a bit. But they’re potentially conditions we could face at some point in the series and I guess you learn from the past and that helps you in the future.”As for his reunion with Smith and Warner, Bancroft agreed that all had taken paths that were lonely at times, on their way back to the national team, its pressures and rewards. “For all three of us, really, our journeys were all different,” Bancroft said.”We all fought battles that were very personal and very different. But I think understanding each other and what each other was going through was certainly something that happened. It’s nice to be back in the side, it’s nice to see Dave, it’s nice to see all the boys, not just him. I guess as you connect closer together as a team, you build that good culture the Australian cricket team has been looking to improve.”

Former captain will continue to play T20Is, having represented South Africa in 154 ODIs and a solitary Test

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Apr-2022South Africa batter Mignon du Preez has announced her retirement from ODIs and Tests with immediate effect. She said her decision was based on the need to focus more on the shortest format of the game, and on the need to spend more time with her family.”I’ve been wonderfully fortunate to play in four ICC ODI World Cups to date,” du Preez said in a statement released by CSA. “These have been some of my most treasured memories in life. I feel South African women’s cricket is in a very healthy state, and the time is right to step away and allow the next generation of exciting cricketers to continue to grow this beautiful game of ours.”Related

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du Preez retires from the two formats, having played a solitary Test – which came back in 2014 against India, when she hit 102 in a losing cause – and 154 ODIs where she piled up 3760 runs in a career that started in 2007. The 32-year-old even captained her country in 46 ODIs from 2011 to 2016, with South Africa winning 24 of those.”I would like to take a moment to thank everyone at Cricket South Africa and the Board for their continuous support during my ODI career,” she said. “I am extremely grateful for the honour to have represented my country in 154 ODI games and also for the opportunity to have captained my country at the highest level.”South Africa lost to England in the semi-final of the recently-concluded women’s ODI World Cup in New Zealand, which now turns out to be du Preez’s final ODI appearance.She was also the Player of the Match in a must-win fixture against India, where her innings of 52* from No. 5 held her side together in a tense chase of 275, which they ultimately managed to achieve off the final ball.South Africa are next scheduled to play a T20I in England this July, a tour which also comprises a Test and three ODIs before the three T20Is.