Colin Ingram announces retirement from professional cricket

Colin Ingram, a batter for South Africa in the past who made his last international appearance nearly 13 years ago, has announced that he will no longer play cricket.

Ingram made the announcement via social media, announcing that he will begin his coaching career and that he is not "completely leaving the game."

The post stated, "My art is complete, but I hope to positively influence the game and inspire players to be the best they can while enjoying their journeys."

Ingram had a long, successful career at Glamorgan, playing 11 years in Wales, with the club confirming that the left-handed batter will now internally transition into a coaching role.

The 41-year-old scored 628 runs at 31.40 in 12 matches this season, including two centuries. Over the course of his 22-year career, which began as a Free State rookie in 2004 and ended as a Glamorgan legend, Ingram played 159 first-class games and scored 10683 runs.

In 2015, he initially signed as a Kolpak player, but after regulations changed, he switched to an overseas contract.

Ingram also had a hugely successful T20 career: while he played only 15 IPL matches across two seasons for the Delhi Capitals, he featured prominently in the T20 Blast, PSL and BBL among others, also getting a taste of the SA20.

His South Africa career started off on a strong note with a century on ODI debut in 2010 against Zimbabwe, followed by another against Pakistan two games later. However, as the competition for top-order slots increased over the subsequent three years, he did not enjoy the same level of consistency. His 2013 ton against Pakistan remained the high point of his ODI career, which ended with three ducks in his final four innings by the end of the year.

He briefly featured in T20Is too, scoring 78 in a one-off T20I against India in 2012, which turned out to be the last of his nine appearances in the format. He never received another SA call-up, despite the success of his T20 career elsewhere.

“Throughout my career I’ve dreamed big, worked hard, made memories, laughed and cried, seen things and places I never thought possible and met so many wonderful people along the way. Ingram stated in his post, "I've had a full crack and left it all out there."

"I’m excited to continue contributing to the Club in a new way and help develop the players who will carry Glamorgan forward," he was quoted by the club as saying. "While it’s the right time for me to step away from playing," he added.