BLOEMFONTEIN (South Africa), March 8: South Africa paceman Allan Donald, the most successful bowler in his country’s history, announced his retirement from all international cricket on Saturday.

“I would like to be remembered as someone who gave his all, I was very passionate about the badge and the country and about every team I’ve played for,” he told a news conference.

Donald, 36, the only bowler to take more than 300 wickets for South Africa said he would play for two more seasons for his province Free State.

“It’s been a wonderful time,” he said. “I’ve gone around the world, playing against the best players. To have achieved what I have achieved as a professional sportsman and a South African cricketer, I am very, very proud of it.

“I can walk out of this room today and say I’ve done my absolute best. I’ve got no regrets.”

Donald, 36, the only South African to take 300 Test wickets, had a wretched World Cup. Clearly short of form, he was only selected for three of the team’s six matches, taking a single wicket at a cost of 133 runs.

He was not chosen for the final game against Sri Lanka, which ended in a tie and sealed the hosts’ first-round elimination.

“I’ve played in four World Cups and we have had a bit of a tough time of it in this World Cup,” he said. “My philosophy about it is was that it wasn’t meant to be.”

Donald, who has not played a Test for just over a year after saying he wanted to concentrate solely on one-dayers, played much of his domestic cricket at Goodyear Park for Free State.

A fine athlete who was nicknamed ‘White Lightning’ in his pomp, Donald played 72 Tests, taking 330 wickets at 22.25 apiece. He took 272 One-day International wickets at 21.78.

He spearheaded the South Africa attack when the team returned to international cricket in 1992.

His best performance came in Harare in October, 1995, when he took eight for 71 in the second innings against Zimbabwe to seal a seven-wicket win.—Reuters