South Africa great Hashim Amla ends professional career

The great right-hander remains the Proteas' third-highest run-scorer across formats and leaves the game as a roundly respected great of his generation

South Africa great Hashim Amla has retired from professional cricket, bringing to an end a legendary career that spanned more than two decades and featured 34,104 runs across all formats.

The 39-year-old hit 28 Test hundreds in 124 appearances and a further 27 in one-day internationals to be recognised as one of the finest players of the modern era.

He became the Proteas' first triple-centurion in 2012, finishing unbeaten on 311 at The Oval in a comprehensive win over England as part of a great South African team.

He enjoyed a stint in the Indian Premier League with Kings XI Punjab and, as well as playing domestic cricket in his homeland for Kwa-Zulu Natal, Dolphins and Cape Cobras, represented five different counties in the United Kingdom, ending his career at Surrey, where in his final year he was part of a County Championship-winning side, after stints with Derbyshire, Hampshire, Nottinghamshire and Essex.

"I have great memories of the Oval ground and to finally leave it as a player fills me with immense gratitude for what has been," he said, adding "a sincere thank you to Alec Stewart and the entire Surrey staff, players and members for their support".

^{Amla won the County Championship in his last season (Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)}

^{Amla was considered one of the game's most graceful right-handers (Matt King/Getty Images)}

"The Surrey ship runs so professionally that it would make any international player feel a sense of honour just to be involved with."

After an inauspicious start in international cricket, he transformed himself to score 18,672 runs across formats for South Africa following his debut in 2004. Only Jacques Kallis has scored more Test runs, while only Kallis and AB de Villiers have accrued more across all formats.

As well as being renowned as a graceful right-hander, he came to be known as one of the game's very best people. Stewart described him as "a true professional and a great of the game".

"Hashim is a fantastic cricketer and a wonderful person," he added. "He has been an incredible resource for the team to learn from on and off the field.

"I can't thank him enough for what he has done for Surrey and hold him up as an example to all young players of what a true professional looks like."

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