Published: Mar 15, 2019, 04:15 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 15, 2019, 04:15 PM (IST)
The latest player to announce that the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup will be his final ODI assignment is South Africa allrounder JP Duminy, who today confirmed that he will retire after this summer’s showpiece event.
This makes Duminy, 34, the third international cricketer to do so after his team-mate Imran Tahir and West Indies veteran Chris Gayle.
Duminy, who quit Test cricket in 2017, recently returned after a lengthy injury setback to play in the fourth ODI against Sri Lanka this week in which he made 31 not out and took 1/21. (READ: World Cup tracker: India suffer shock loss, eyes on Williamson and Shakib)
“The last few months on the sidelines have given me an opportunity to re-assess my career going forward and to plot some goals I’d like to achieve in the future,” he said. “While a decision like this is never easy, I also feel that it is the right time for me to pass on the baton. I will still be available to play international and domestic T20 cricket, but would also like to invest more time towards my growing family, who are my number one priority.
Earlier this month, the legspinner Tahir said that he will retire from ODIs after the World Cup in England. In February, Gayle announced that he will also quit playing ODIs after the World Cup. (READ: India concede series in pursuit of fringe benefits)
Among those cricketers for whom this year’s World Cup will in all likelihood be the last are MS Dhoni, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Lasith Malinga and Ross Taylor.
The World Cup starts May 30.
