Former England captain Paul Collingwood announces retirement

London, Sep 13: Former England captain Paul Collingwood has announced he will retire from all forms of cricket at the end of the 2018 season.

All-rounder Collingwood - who appeared in 68 Tests, 197 one-day matches and 36 Twenty20 games at international level - has played for home county Durham throughout his domestic career in England.

Read in kannada

The 42-year-old has scored 16,891 runs and taken 164 wickets in the first-class game but will bow out after the County Championship fixture against Division Two rivals Middlesex, which starts on September 24.

"After much thought and deliberation, I have decided to announce my retirement from cricket at the end of the current season," Collingwood said in a statement on Durham's website.

"I knew this day would eventually come but it hasn't made it any easier – although it’s an emotional decision, I know that the time is right and I’m comfortable knowing that I have given every last ounce of energy to the sport.

"I have achieved so much with both Durham and England, far more than I ever imagined, and I feel extremely privileged to have had such a long and rewarding career.

"It has been an honour to represent Durham County Cricket Club for the last 23 years and I would like to thank the staff, coaches, team-mates and members for their tremendous support and for making my career so enjoyable.

"I am excited about what the future holds for me and am looking forward to new challenges."

Colly's final match will be against Middlesex at Emirates Riverside between 24-27 September#ThankYouColly pic.twitter.com/cTbvHwW6wl
— Durham CCC(@DurhamCricket) September 13, 2018

Collingwood became the first England skipper to win a global tournament when he lifted the ICC World Twenty20 trophy in the Caribbean eight years ago.

The right-handed batsman was also part of three Ashes-winning teams, while his career-best score of 206 came against Australia in Adelaide in 2006.

He finished his England career with 4,259 runs at an average of 40.56 in Tests and 5,092 in 50-over cricket, scoring 15 international centuries across all formats.

"Paul is one of the greatest all-rounders to ever grace the game of cricket and to have him playing at Durham, his home county, for all these years has been an absolute privilege," Durham chairman Ian Botham said of Collingwood.

"Both on and off the field he has class, intelligence and charm and it is a testament to his incredible commitment and work ethic that he has been able to compete at the top level for the amount of time that he has.

"Colly is Mr Durham and it will be very strange without him, but on behalf of myself and everyone at Durham County Cricket Club, I would like to wish him the very best in whatever the future holds."