Vernon Philander will retire from all forms of international cricket at the end of the Test series against England in January 2020.
The 34-year-old bowler burst onto the scene with an unforgettable debut Test match against Australia in November 2011.
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It saw him take an outstanding combined 8/78, including a famous spell of 5/15 that had the visitors bowled out for 47 in their second innings of the Test at Newlands as South Africa cantered to victory by eight wickets. He also took a record-breaking 51 wickets in his first seven Test matches which earned him the 2012 South African Cricketer of the Year accolade at that year’s Cricket South Africa annual awards gala along with Test Cricketer and Fans Cricketer of the Year trophies.
His international career spanned more than 12 years as he grew into one of the finest players to represent South Africa and played 97 matches across all three formats, taking a combined 261 wickets with 1784 runs scored.
Philander picked up 100 Test wickets in 20 matches and pulled off an remarkable batting innings of 105 minutes and 98 balls for an unbeaten 27 runs in Sri Lanka in 2014 to save the Test match, helping South Africa regain their number one Test ranking.
‘I would like to hereby announce that I will be retiring from international cricket at the conclusion of the Test series against England. I feel that it is the appropriate time to conclude what has been an amazing journey,’ said Philander.
‘I want to give thanks to my Heavenly Father for blessing me with the opportunity to represent my country for the last 12 years. It has been a honour and privilege to have played alongside the very best in the game as well as being part of the best test team for a number of years.
‘Thank you must also go to CSA, the Cape Cobras, all the coaches, management, captains and team mates and the very special fans from all over the world for your love and support.
‘I would like to say a special thanks to my wife, family and friends for your loyalty and support on this journey which has obviously had its ups and downs. And to my number one fan since day one – Mom, thank you so much.
‘I would like to express my gratitude to all the sponsors of the game of cricket in South Africa as well as my own amazing sponsors who have become like family over the years. My entire focus and energy at this time is to help the Proteas beat England which I am really looking forward to. Looking forward to seeing you all there.’
Photo: Gallo Images
