Netherlands' Stephan Myburgh announces retirement from international cricket
Netherlands batter Stephan Myburgh has announced his retirement from international cricket, in order to spend more time with his family. He, however, is still weighing up his future at the club level.The announcement comes a day after Netherlands stunned South Africa to knock them out of the T20 World Cup, in Adelaide. Myburgh made a 30-ball 37 from the top of the order which helped Netherlands defend a total of 158.”Hanging up the boots….,” he wrote in a post on Instagram on Monday. “To God be the glory!!! Blessed to have made my first class debut 17 seasons ago and international debut 12 seasons ago. Never in my dreams would I have imagined finishing my career at the World Cup with a win against @cricket_south_africa_ my blood will always be green. As much as a sportsman always want to win I had a tear for my beloved country. I am thankful for @kncbcricket and the Netherlands that’s now my home and have too many people to thank for my career. Jesus, @tineke.myburgh , friends and family, sponsors and all the supporters out there I can only say thanks!!! #GodIsGood #Blessed can’t wait to see my girls (sic).”
Myburgh, 38, made his international debut in 2011 and played 22 ODIs and 45 T20Is. Born in Pretoria, he started his career at Northerns in the SAA Provincial Challenge in 2006, playing alongside the likes of Neil Wagner and Paul Harris.Myburgh retired from ODIs earlier this year following the series against New Zealand. He has ended his T20I career with 915 runs at an average of 21.78 and a strike rate of 114.51. He is the third-highest run-getter for Netherlands in T20Is, behind Max O’Dowd and Ben Cooper.One of his best knocks in the format came in the 2014 T20 World Cup when he notched up a 17-ball fifty against Ireland, which at that time was the second-fastest in T20Is. He finished on 63 off 23 to help Netherlands chase down 190 in 13.5 overs to progress to Super 10s.In the ongoing T20 World Cup, he made 51 runs in three matches. Netherlands beat Namibia and UAE in the first round to qualify for the Super 12s, where they finished fourth on the Group 2 table with two wins in five games.