South African women’s batter Mignon du Preez announced her retirement from all forms of cricket on December 9, 2022 after a career span of almost 16 years.
Mignon du Preez Announced Retirement
Mignon, South Africa’s most-capped female cricketer, made her last international appearance at the inaugural Women’s Cricket T20 tournament at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August.
She previously retired from Tests and ODIs earlier in the year after taking part in the 2022 ODI World Cup in New Zealand.
It brought to an end du Preez’s career, which lasted for nearly 16 years. However, the Protoria-born batter will continue to take part in foreign T20 leagues around the world.
“Fifteen years of international cricket, WOW, what a blessing it has been… It’s never an easy decision to step away from something you love as much as I love cricket, but I know in my heart that the time is right for me to announce my retirement from all forms of international cricket.
However, I will still continue to play the shorter format of the game in the global leagues until such a time that I am blessed to become a mom and start a family of my own. Now for all the thank yous…” Du Preez said in a statement.
Thanking her family, friends, her coaches and the cricket boards she has been involved with, Du Preez also spoke about her teammates: “To my teammates, thank you for all the memories that I can treasure for a lifetime.
It was an honour to share the change room and field with each one of you. I will miss you all tremendously but can’t wait to follow your journeys to success and I will definitely be rooting for you from the sidelines in the future.
“I will definitely miss the change room chats, the off-field friendships from all around the globe, travelling and learning about different cultures. However, I am extremely excited about the next phase of my life together with the ones that I love dearly and that have taken a back seat during the last 15 years of my career.
“My cricketing journey has been nothing short of a crazy rollercoaster ride with all the ups and downs, but oh boy, it was one hell of a ride, and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world… To the cricket world, this is not goodbye, it just sees you later! Lots of love and endless smiles,” Du Preez said.
READ: West Indies All-Rounder Deandra Dottin Announced International Retirement
Enoch Nkwe on Mignon du Preez’s Retirement
Cricket South Africa Director of Cricket, Enoch Nkwe, added: “This is a bittersweet moment for South African cricket and the world at large as we bid farewell to one of the game’s favourite characters on the international stage.
Over the last 16 years, du Preez’s professionalism and commitment shown towards her country has been exemplary, not only to those who follow in her footsteps but also to her teammates and peers in the game.
“A career entailing a total of 268 international matches, 5565 runs including 25 fifties and three hundreds across Test, ODI and T20 cricket as well as 96 matches as captain, is one to be extremely proud of and has solidified her place as one of the country’s cricketing greats.
“On behalf of CSA and the wider cricketing fraternity, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Mignon for her nearly two decades of service for her country and the game of international cricket. Her devoted, passionate team-first personality will be sorely missed, and I wish her the very best with the rest of her career and life after the game,” Nkwe said.
