South African all-rounder Johan Botha announces retirement from all forms of cricket
Thursday, 24 January 2019 (16:33 IST)
Sydney: South African all-rounder Johan Botha, who last played for the Proteas in the World T20 in 2012, has announced his retirement from all forms of the game with immediate effect.
The 36-year-old Botha made the announcement following Hobart Hurricanes' loss to the Sydney Sixers in the The Big Bash League (BBL) at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Wednesday night.
The off-spinner had been representing Hobart Hurricanes in the league for a long time, but has had to cut his stint short, citing ?wear and tear on his body and sheer physical fatigue?, according to a Hurricanes statement.
His 19-year long career had been very interesting. Botha started as a medium-pacer, then, became an off-spinner, again re-model his action in the view of questions over his bowling action.
The all-rounder represented South Africa in more than 100 matches across several formats. Botha led the Proteas side in 21 matches. He played for countless T20 franchises across the globe.
For South Africa, he appeared in whites for five times in which he took 17 wickets with a 3.38 economy at an average of 33.70.
He played 78 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and scored 609 runs with an average of 19.03. The former captain also represented South Africa in shorter format of the game for 40 times in which he accumulated 201 runs and took 37 scalps.
He carried on playing in T20 leagues the world over, racking up almost 500 professional games, and grabbing over 500 wickets.
He was one of South Africa's stand-out performers at the 2011 Men's Cricket World Cup, maintaining a miserly economy rate of 4.07 runs per over, while his abilities under pressure are further emphasised by his two Player of the Match performances in T20Is, in thrilling one-run and three-run wins against West Indies and New Zealand in 2010 and 2012.(UNI)
