England county club Glamorgan's all-rounder Craig Meschede on Monday announced his retirement from professional cricket with an immediate effect due to shoulder injury.
The 28-year-old has been suffering from a Neurogenic Thoracic Outlet Syndrome since mid-way through last season, limiting his shoulder mobility and strength, and after months of rehabilitation work has taken the advice of specialists to retire from the game.
Meschede initially joined Glamorgan on-loan from Somerset in 2015 before making the switch permanent the following season. Both his first-class centuries came while representing Glamorgan, including a maiden century at Sophia Gardens against eventual champions Surrey. The 2016 season saw him take a maiden five-wicket haul against another league-winning side, Essex.
In 2018 Meschede hit a series of exciting and entertaining cameos at the top of the order as he finished in the top three run-scorers for the club at a strike rate of over 150.
Though born in South Africa, Meschede made his international debut for Germany last season before his injury, and finished his Glamorgan career with 100 appearances across all competitions, taking 125 wickets and scoring 1,905 runs.
"The last few weeks have been very emotional for me as cricket has played such a big part of my life. Saying that, I have to do what's best for my health and there is life after cricket. The physio and support staff and everyone at Glamorgan have been brilliant throughout this process and I can't thank them enough," Meschede said on club's official website.
"The syndrome has taken a massive toll on me physically and mentally and it's been hard to perform skills at a level I know I'm capable of. I now need to undertake operation and period of rehabilitation in order to get my quality of life back," he added.
Meschede said he will be grateful for the opportunities that the game has provided and thanked both the clubs.
"Playing at Somerset and Glamorgan has presented me with many great opportunities as well as making a number of friends for life. I will always be grateful for the opportunities cricket has provided me. I wish all the players and staff great success in the future and hope the lads can get on and play this year," he said.
( With inputs from ANI )
