Former England all-rounder and Durham skipper Paul Collingwood has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket at the end of the season.
Collingwood, who featured in 68 Tests, 197 ODIs and 36 T20Is for England, made his debut for Durham in 1996. He represented the club in 23 out of their 26 seasons.
Durham have two County Championship fixtures remaining. The first one is against Leicestershire at Grace Road from September 18 while the second one is against Middlesex at the Emirates Riverside from September 24, which will be Collingwood’s final professional appearance.
"After much thought and deliberation, I have decided to announce my retirement from cricket at the end of the current season. I knew this day would eventually come but it hasn't made it any easier - although it's an emotional decision, I know that the time is right and I'm comfortable knowing that I have given every last ounce of energy to the sport,” Collingwood said on Thursday as per the quotes in Cricbuzz.
"I have achieved so much with both Durham and England; far more than I ever imagined and I feel extremely privileged to have had such a long and rewarding career.
"It has been an honour to represent Durham County Cricket Club for the last 23 years and I would like to thank the staff, coaches, team mates and members for their tremendous support and for making my career so enjoyable. I am excited about what the future holds for me and am looking forward to new challenges," he added.
Collingwood captained England to their first ever ICC Trophy, hitting the winning runs to seal the World Twenty20 title in 2010. He was part of three Ashes-winning teams and was one of Wisden's five Cricketers of the Year in 2007.
Having retired from international cricket in 2011, Collingwood helped Durham to the County Championship title in 2013 and the One-Day Cup in 2014. The ace all-rounder amassed 16,891 runs and claimed 164 wickets in 304 first-class matches.
Collingwood also enjoyed spells overseas. While he represented Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, he played for Perth Scorchers in Australia's Big Bash League.
