Image Credit- Getty
The announcement of Sybrand Engelbrecht’s retirement from international cricket has been made. The 35-year-old batsman, who was born in South Africa, played in 12 ODIs and 12 T20Is before making his Netherlands debut in 2023.
Engelbrecht made his final appearance for his country on Sunday night when the Netherlands lost against Sri Lanka, eliminating them from the T20 World Cup 2024. He celebrated the event with an incredible boundary save that had over a million views on Instagram videos after becoming viral on social media.
That display of skill was typical of a player who has a reputation for being exceptionally talented on the pitch. He first gained notoriety in 2008 when he scored a goal at backward point with both hands while representing South Africa in the Under-19 World Cup versus Papua New Guinea.
In order to concentrate on his work in finance and project management, Engelbrecht gave up all forms of cricket in 2016; after moving to the Netherlands in 2021, he started playing cricket recreationally there. He was included in the Netherlands national team by 2023 after being chosen for the India 2023 ODI World Cup.
At the age of 35, he has officially announced his retirement from international cricket after participating in four World Cups out of twelve T20 matches and eight ODIs. He concludes with 280 T20I runs at 31.11 and a strike rate of 132.70, along with 385 ODI runs at an average of 35.00 and two half-centuries. With 98 runs at a pace of 24.50, including 40 and 33 in close losses to Full Members South Africa and Bangladesh, he was the Netherlands’ top run scorer at this T20 World Cup.