Jacques Rudolph, who accumulated 48 Test caps and 45 ODIs in a career spanning 17 years has cut his ties with South Africa to bat on for Glamorgan.
The prolific left-hader, who has been a stalwart of the Titans, said in a statement: ‘I have decided to conclude my career with Glamorgan on the English county-circuit.
‘In the twilight of my career, I wish to commit myself more exclusively to the advancement of my batting career in England. I leave with remarkable memories of South African cricket,’ he said.
He had signed off with the Titans by helping them to lift the Momentum One Day Cup by beating the Nashua Cobras in the final at Newlands in February.
Rudolph started his Test career with a bang when he scored unbeaten 222 against Bangladesh in 2003 and accumulated 35 caps until he fell out of favour in 2006. He became a solid and respected performer with Yorkshire, and at one stage considered qualifying to play for England. But he returned to South Africa in 2011 and earned another 13 Test selections, being part of the squad which beat England 2-0 in 2012 and lifted the Proteas to the No 1 position on the World rankings. He played his last match in the winning series against Australia in 2012.
One of his finest performances came in 2005, against Australia, when in 431 minutes of stonewalling, he scored an unbeaten 102 against the best the Australians could throw at him to earn a draw.
Upon his return to the South African team, Rudolph scored 105 against New Zealand at the University Ground in Dunedin in 2012, blasting 15 fours and a six in the first test against the Black Caps. He signed off his international career with 2 622 runs at an average of 35.43.
In 45 his one-day internationals, he compiled 1 174 runs for the Proteas.
Rudolph scored 329 runs in the domestic limited-over campaign at an average of 47.
‘One of the lasting impressions of my career was to be part of the South African team that managed to wrestle the No 1 position in the world from England in 2012, and to have served in a test team that featured at the global summit,’ he said.
Rudolph is on the brink of another milestone at Glamorgan, having completed 49 first-class centuries at a superb average of 43.39 in a mammoth 252 games.
Jacques Faul, chief executive of the Titans, said: ‘We thank him for his excellent services to franchise and country and wish him well with the completion of his stellar career in England’.
