South African-born New Zealand all-rounder Grant Elliott has retired from all forms of cricket.
Elliott played 17 T20Is, 83 ODIs and five Tests between 2008 and 2016, while he also famously starred against his country of birth in the 2015 World Cup semi-final.
On that fateful day against the Proteas, the cool, calm and collected Elliott carried the Black Caps from a precarious 149 for four to a triumphant 299 for six in the rain-affected fixture in Auckland.
A veritable journeyman, Elliott played Twenty20 cricket for the Quetta Gladiators in the Bangladesh Premier League, Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League and St Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier League. Surprisingly, he never represented an Indian Premier League franchise.
His South African roots, of course, were with Gauteng and Griqualand West whie his professional career ended with the Birmingham Bears in the Vitality Blast last week.
On Instagram, Elliott wrote this to announce his retirement: ‘Started in Johannesburg finished in Birmingham. I remember being 12 and writing down my life goals. To play in a World Cup, play international cricket and play county cricket. 27 years on and I have loved every minute of it. Thanks to all the memorable people I have met that have made this journey special. To family and friends who have given me unwavering support despite all the sacrifices I have had to make that have impacted them. This game is a special one but it doesn’t define us. Looking forward to the future with great excitement and sharing a drink with those selfless players I shared a change room with.’
New Zealand have fielded several other South African-born cricketers in recent years, most notably Durban’s BJ Watling and Pretoria’s Neil Wagner. Cape Town’s Michael Rippon, who has played ODI and T20I cricket for the Netherlands, is pursuing a Black Caps career, too.
Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images
