Jacques Rudolph to put an end to his career after the 2017 county season

The end of the ongoing county season will see South Africa batsman Jacques Rudolph move away from the gentleman’s game. The player is all set to hang his boots when the current season finishes its term. Rudolph, who is the captain of his side Glamorgan, will pass on the tag to teammate Michael Hogan after his retirement.

The veteran cricketer will, however, continue to play his role as the skipper for his side in the NatWest T20 blast. The left-handed batsman has been a crucial member of the Glamorgan squad after joining them in 2014. He boasts of umpteen records by his name for the side but the one which stands out was his 169 against Sussex. The score also marks the highest individual ever score ever by a Glamorgan batsman in List A cricket.

The 36-year-old feels that his decision to part ways from cricket has been taken at the perfect time. “The time feels right to call an end to my playing career,” said Rudolph, on Wednesday.

Rudolph also mentioned that he has been lucky enough to have performed with the willow in hand for an elongated 20 years and he plans to spend time with his family in the near future. He also expressed his desire to end his career in a triumphant manner.

“I have been incredibly fortunate to have enjoyed playing the game I love for the last 20 years, but at the end of this summer it will be time to focus on a new venture away from cricket and spend more time with my young family.

“The last four years at Glamorgan have been special and I’ve enjoyed playing for the club along with developing a spirit and culture with Robert Croft and Hugh Morris that I believe will help the club in years to come.

“I still want to help Glamorgan achieve success on the field this season and finish my time with the club, and end my career, on a high. The NatWest T20 Blast gives us an opportunity to make this a successful season, so I look forward to scoring more runs in both Championship and T20 and again leading our challenge towards NatWest Blast Finals Day,” he added.

Hugh Morris on Jacques Rudolph:

Jacques Rudolph’s contribution to the Glamorgan side has been immense and there is no denying that fact. Rudolph rode his side into the semi-finals of the NatWestT20 blast in 2016 where they went down to Yorkshire. Hugh Morris, Glamorgan Cricket’s chief executive lauded and thanked Rudolph for his input over the years.

“Jacques will continue to lead Glamorgan in our NatWest T20 Blast campaign, which starts in July. It’s a competition we have performed well in in recent seasons and we are looking forward to the 2017 campaign under the leadership of Jacques.

“Michael Hogan has been appointed as captain of the Championship team until the end of the season and will begin leadership of the team for Friday’s match against Durham at St Helen’s.”