HOBART: Former South Africa spinning all-rounder Johan Botha has announced his immediate retirement from all forms of cricket.

Botha’s Australian Twenty20 league team, the Hobart Hurricanes, announced the news late on Wednesday. They said Botha cited ‘wear and tear on his body and sheer physical fatigue.’

The 36-year-old Botha, who received his Australian citizenship in 2016, failed to take a wicket during Wednesday’s nine-wicket loss to the Sydney Sixers. He had played all 10 matches for the first-place Hurricanes this season.

Botha played for South Africa in five Test matches, 78 One-day Internationals and 40 Twenty20 Internationals from 2005 to 2012.

He also captained the Proteas in 10 ODIs and took the team to the No. 1 ranking after they defeated Australia 4-1 in Australia in 2009.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2019