Harshita
JOHANNESBURG: Vernon Philander, who is an ace South African bowler, announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket after the upcoming Test series against England.
Philander in his official statement said, "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. Thank you must also go to CSA (Cricket South Africa), the Cape Cobras, all the coaches, management, captains and teammates and the very special fans from all over the world for your love and support."
He concluded his statement saying that he really looks forward to his last Test and help his team beat England. He said, "My entire focus and energy at this time is to help the Proteas beat England which I am really looking forward to."
The South African seamer played a total number of 97 international matches including all formats. Out of those 97 innings, 60 are the Test matches where he took 216 wickets, 30 ODIs with 41 wickets and 7 T20Is with 4 wickets, making a total of 261 wickets. He also scored a total of 1784 international runs across all formats.
His most memorable inning has to be his Test debut against Australia where he took 5 big wickets and gave away only 15 runs. The South African team managed to bowl out the opponents for only 47 runs and head towards a grand victory.
He also won the 2012 South Africa Cricketer of the year award for his record-breaking 51 wickets in his first seven Test matches.
The official Twitter handle of CSA posted several tweets on this big announcement and also highlighted the various milestones Philander has achieved. Their tweets also included some kind words from people who are an important part of the cricket world.
Proteas all-rounder Vernon Philander (@VDP_24 ), has called time on an exemplary international career with the announcement of his retirement from all forms of international cricket at the end of the Test series against England in January 2020.#BigVernRetires#Thread pic.twitter.com/GqRDtXHqsx
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) December 23, 2019
In an international career that has spanned more than 12 years, Philander has played 97 matches across all three formats, taking a combined 261 wickets with 1784 runs scored. #BigVernRetires @VDP_24 pic.twitter.com/aWh1agEXFG
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) December 23, 2019
He took an outstanding combined 8/78, including a famous spell of 5/15 in his Test debut vs Australia that had the visitors bowled out for 47 in their second innings at Newlands as South Africa cantered to victory by eight wickets.#BigVernRetires @VDP_24 pic.twitter.com/xoEqMMwija
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) December 23, 2019
He also took a record-breaking 51 wickets in his first seven Test matches which earned him the 2012 SA 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. #BigVernRetires @VDP_24 pic.twitter.com/vspf4U3JzG
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) December 23, 2019
"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." - @VDP_24 #BigVernRetires pic.twitter.com/8YvsiGzXm5
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) December 23, 2019
“One of the many things that have stood out for me with Vern is his character, his determination and the way that he has always been up for a fight and a challenge has shown the heart of the man." - CSA Director of Cricket, Graeme Smith.#BigVernRetires @VDP_24 pic.twitter.com/2w9vweqj1A
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) December 23, 2019
The upcoming 4-match Test series will commence from 26th December at the Centurion.
