Dwayne Smith announces his international retirement
What’s the story?
West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Smith announced his international retirement before the ongoing Pakistan Super League qualifying final between Islamabad United and Karachi Kings in which he is playing for Islamabad United. The 33-year-old announced his intention to retire 13 years after making his international debut.
Smith last played for West Indies during the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup and his decision brings to an end an international career that began with a New Year’s Test against South Africa at Cape Town in January 2004.
The 33-year-old will continue to play in domestic T20 tournaments around the world. He is currently taking part in the PSL and will represent Gujarat Lions in the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League which begins on April 5.
The context
He is the second international player to announce his retirement during the ongoing Pakistan Super League. Shahid Afridi had earlier announced that after two decades of international cricket, he is finally calling time on playing for Pakistan.
Details
The 33-year-old has represented WI across all three formats. In total, he has played 148 international matches across 11 years until his last international in 2015. Although he played just 10 Tests, he scored a century on his Test debut against South Africa. However, his last Test was just two years later, in 2006 against New Zealand in Napier.
In the shorter formats, he was part of two World Cup squads, in 2007 and 2015 and his final game in West Indies colors came against UAE in Napier. He was dropped for three years from the West Indies squad following the 2007 World Cup and made his comeback in 2010 in both squads.
In T20Is, he was part of three World T20 campaigns in 2007, 2012 and 2014. He played just once during the victorious 2012 World T20 campaign and played the last of his 33 T20Is against South Africa in Durban in January 2015.
What’s next?
After the Pakistan Super League, Dwayne Smith will next be in action in the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League, where he will play for Gujarat Lions.
Sportskeeda’s Take
The fact that he hadn’t played for West Indies in nearly two years is a testament to the fact that West Indies have moved on from the 33-year-old in both ODIs and T20Is. While his decision to retire is not surprising considering his lack of international games, the timing is slightly odd, considering it came just before a crucial encounter. Still, one hopes to see him light up the crowds across various T20 competitions.