South Africa all-rounder Farhaan Behardien retires from all cricket

South Africa's white-ball specialist Farhaan Behardien on Tuesday announced his retirement from all cricket at the age of 39, and after playing at the professional level for 18 years.

The all-rounder, who last played for the Protes in November 2018, represented his national team in 59 ODIs and 38 T20Is in which he amassed 1074 and 518 runs, respectively.

Behardien had 17 international wickets and scored 6 fifties in 50-overs cricket and one in the shortest format. He played the T20 World Cups in 2012, 2014 and 2016 as well as the Cricket World Cup in 2015.

Behardien also had the opportunity to captain his country when Sri Lanka travelled to South Africa for a three-match T20I series in January 2017.

'Behardien's retirement tweet'

"The dust has settled a bit. Been pretty emotional the last couple of weeks. 18 years has come and gone. 560 pro games across all formats, including 97 caps for my country, 17 trophies in the cabinet and blessed to have played in 4 world cups.

"Thanks to my family and friends who gave unwavering support. Thanks to all the coaches and support staff I’ve come across in my career, all my teammates, boy I’ve played with some of my heroes and some of the greats!

"Thanks specifically to the Titans (skyblues) for taking a punt on a young kid all those years ago & giving me a platform to showcase my skill. Thanks to the fans who supported me throughout the years and to those who gave me grief, whichever side of the fence you sat, it fueled my desire nonetheless. I lived my dreams.

"To be honest it wasn’t easy. The good stuff rarely are, but as a result haven’t “worked” a day in 18 years, cause it was my passion and I loved the graft. Feet up for a bit and onto the next challenge. Much love," Behardien tweeted.