South Africa fast bowler Makhaya Ntini officially announced his retirement from international cricket in a statement released Tuesday. The 33-year-old native of the Eastern Cape made the last of 101 Test appearances in December 2009 after capturing 390 Test wickets and 266 in one-day internationals.
"It has been a wonderful journey for me to represent my country. I have so many great memories which I will carry for the rest of my life," Ntini said in the statement. "My career is by no means over - it just means that internationally my time has come to hang up my boots.
"Domestic cricket is thriving at the moment and I want to be part of the set up as a player for as long as possible," said the bowler nicknamed "Mdingi Express' after the village where he was born. The international career of Ntini spanned 11 years.