Johannesburg: South Africa all-rounder Jean Paul Duminy has decided to hang up his boots in Test cricket but will continue to feature in the shorter formats of the game, the 33-year-old announced here, Saturday.
The swashbuckling left hander who hasn’t featured in the longest format of the game since July was dropped from the Proteas squad after the first Test at Lords in a four-match series against England earlier this year.
“After a long and careful deliberation, I have decided to retire from first-class and Test match cricket with immediate effect,” Duminy, who played 46 Test matches for South Africa, said in a statement.
“It is indeed an experience that cannot be replaced and one I will always cherish. Test cricket has always been the pinnacle and I’ve been fortunate enough to experience some of the memorable moments with the Proteas and also in first-class matches with the WSB Cape Cobras,” the Cape Town all-rounder added.
Duminy made his Test debut against Australia at Perth in 2008 and helped South Africa hunt down a target of 414, the second-highest successful run-chase in test cricket.
The right arm off-break bowler who has a tally of 42 wickets in Tests insisted on focusing to the success of the national team. “In the years ahead, my focus will be placed on attaining limited-overs cricket success for South Africa and the WSB Cape Cobras,” he asserted.
Test career highlights
Batting
M R HS Avg SR 100s 50s
46 2103 166 32.85 46.28 6 8
Bowling
M Wkts Eco BBI BBM 5w 10w
46 42 3.55 4/47 4/51 0 0
reuters