Dwayne Smith announces international retirement

Dwayne Smith, the West Indies all-rounder, announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket on Wednesday (March 1), ahead of the start of the second Qualifying Final against Karachi Kings in the ongoing Pakistan Super League.

Smith, who plays for Islamabad United in the league, made his last international appearance in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, nearly two years ago, when West Indies took on UAE.

Smith, who made an immediate impact in the Test circuit with a century on debut against South Africa in the 2003-04 season, featured only in nine more Tests for West Indies but remained a very popular figure in limited-overs cricket. In the 105 ODIs he played for West Indies, Smith aggregated 1560 runs with the bat and also picked up 61 wickets.

Smith was part of two World Cup squads for West Indies but after the embarrassing early exit from the 2007 edition, he spent nearly three years out of the squad before making his comeback in 2010.

He was also a part of three World T20 squads - in 2007, 2012 and 2014. In 33 Twenty20 internationals for West Indies, Smith scored 582 runs at a strike rate of 122.78, including three fifties.

Despite not featuring in international cricket since March 2015, Smith remained busy with domestic T20 leagues. He featured for as many as four Indian Premier League franchises, and was also a regular feature at the Caribbean Premier League, the Bangladesh Premier League, the PSL and the NatWest Blast in England.