Mignon du Preez, the South African batter, has announced her retirement from all forms of international cricket, Du Preez made her South Africa debut as a 17-year-old in January 2007 and after seven months she featured in her first T20I.
Mignon du Preez, the South African batter, has announced her retirement from all forms of international cricket, bringing an end to a career that crossed nearly 16 years.
Du Preez, who had previously retired from Tests and ODI cricket following the 50-over World Cup in New Zealand recently, has also cut down the curtains on her T20I career. Du Preez, who is currently 33, will continue to ply her trade in T20 franchise leagues.
Du Preez made her South Africa debut as a 17-year-old in January 2007 and after seven months she featured in her first T20I.
She also played her solitary Test match against India in November 2014, scoring 102 in a game that South Africa lost. In 154 ODI matches, she scored 3760 runs at an average of 32.98, with two hundred and 18 half-centuries.
“Fifteen years of international cricket, WOW, what a blessing it has been… It’s never an easy decision to step away from something you love as much as I love cricket, but I know in my heart that the time is right for me to announce my retirement from all forms of international cricket. However, I will continue to play the shorter format of the game in the global leagues until such a time that I am blessed to become a mom and start a family of my own. Now for all the thank you…”
Du Preez said in a statement.
Thanking her family, friends, coaches, and the cricket boards she has been involved with, Du Preez also spoke about her teammates:
“To my teammates, thank you for all the memories that I can treasure for a lifetime. It was an honor to share the changing room and field with each one of you. I will miss you all tremendously but can’t wait to follow your journeys to success and I will definitely be rooting for you from the sidelines in the future.
“I will miss the change room chats, the off-field friendships from all around the globe, traveling and learning about different cultures. However, I am extremely excited about the next phase of my life together with the ones that I love dearly and that have taken a back seat during the last 15 years of my career.
“My cricketing journey has been nothing short of a crazy rollercoaster ride with all the ups and downs, but oh boy, it was one hell of a ride, and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world… To the cricket world, this is not goodbye; it’s just seeing you later! Lots of love and endless smiles,”
Du Preez said.
Cricket South Africa Director of Cricket, Enoch Nkwe, added:
“This is a bittersweet moment for South African cricket and the world at large as we bid farewell to one of the game’s favorite characters on the international stage. Over the last 16 years, du Preez’s professionalism and commitment are shown towards her country have been exemplary, not only to those who follow in her footsteps but also to her teammates and peers in the game.
“A career entailing a total of 268 international matches, 5565 runs including 25 fifties and three hundred across Test, ODI, and T20 cricket as well as 96 matches as captain, is one to be extremely proud of and has solidified her place as one of the country’s cricketing greats.
“On behalf of CSA and the wider cricketing fraternity, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Mignon for her nearly two decades of service for her country and the game of international cricket. Her devoted, passionate team-first personality will be sorely missed, and I wish her the very best with the rest of her career and life after the game,”
Nkwe said.