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South Africa batter Hashim Amla has announced his retirement from all cricket at the age of 39.
Amla scored 18,672 international runs for the Proteas between 2004 and 2019, including 9,282 in 124 Tests, which is second only to Jacques Kallis (13,206) for South Africa.
The right-hander’s highest score in Test cricket was the 311 not out he amassed against England at The Kia Oval in 2012 and he remains the only South African to notch a Test triple century.
No South African has scored more than his 27 hundreds in one-day international cricket, a format in which he totalled 8,113 runs across 181 matches.
Amla was part of the Surrey side that won the LV= Insurance County Championship last season, hitting the last of his 57 first-class centuries against Northamptonshire in September.
Amla said: “I have great memories of the Oval ground and to finally leave it as a player fills me with immense gratitude for what has been.
“A sincere thank you to (director of cricket) Alec Stewart and the entire Surrey staff, players and members for their support.
“The Surrey ship runs so professionally that it would make any international player feel a sense of honour just to be involved with. I wish them all the best and many more trophies.”
Stewart: Amla is a great of the game
Surrey director of cricket Alec Stewart – who recently taken a leave of absence due to his wife’s ongoing cancer treatment – said: “Everyone at Surrey County Cricket Club will be sad to see Hashim retire, but we all applaud what has been a phenomenal career. He will quite rightly go down as a great of the game,” he said.
“Hashim is a fantastic cricketer and a wonderful person. He has been an incredible resource for the team to learn from on and off the field.
“As well as posting big scores at vital moments, he has also shown his willingness to dig in and do what is needed to get his team a result in tough games.
“I can’t thank him enough for what he has done for Surrey and hold him up as an example to all young players of what a true professional looks like.”
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