/sky247-english/media/agency_attachments/u8Dd4hyaH0mQGXmyg0Eo.png)
/sky247-english/media/media_files/oXHoxgPA7CrylmMTcwp1.jpg)
Follow Us/sky247-english/media/post_banners/laooIuDhEZ21yzZ5lVLR.jpg)
Rikki Clarke (Source: Twitter)
Rikki Clarke, the veteran all-rounder in England domestic cricket, has announced that he will retire from professional cricket at the end of the ongoing season. The 39-year-old played 20 ODIs and 2 Test matches for England at the start of the century. He also took a wicket off his first ball in international cricket.
/sky247-english/media/media_files/L36rCpmHRJkAgRgNCcLd.jpg)
Rather he was fast-tracked into the international set-up at the age of 21 itself. Both his Test matches came at the Bangladesh tour in 2003 and 20 ODIs were spread across three years. But soon he went down the pecking order with slow progress than anticipated. However, Rikki Clarke remains a legendary figure in the county cricket.
He has played 264 First-class, 232 List A and 172 T20 matches in his career so far. Clarke has scored 17,750 runs across formats apart from picking 795 wickets. He is also known as a safe pair of hands having pouched a whopping 587 catches in his career.
Rikki Clarke played for Surrey and Warwickshire mostly throughout his career and thanked everyone whom he played with all these years. Playing 22 times for England remains the most memorable moment of his career.
"When I started as a professional back in 2000 I could have only dreamt of the career that was to follow. A particular highlight of mine will always be my ODI and Test debuts in 2003. To represent my country 22 times can never be taken away and memories that I will look back on with immense pride. Of course I would have loved to have played more, but it just wasn't meant to be.
"I have played with and against some amazing cricketers throughout my 22 seasons and amongst them made some friends for life. To Surrey and Warwickshire, I thank you for the amazing times and the success that I was able to experience while wearing your badges.
"I feel very fortunate to have been a part of successful teams and to win all domestic trophies two or three times over. To Derbyshire, I thank you for the opportunity to captain an amazing county and I only wish things could have turned out differently," he said in a statement issued by Surrey.