John Turner announced a shock retirement from international cricket on Thursday (August 6). A stress fracture kept him away from the game for an extended period and he hadn’t played professional cricket more than a year before announcing his retirement. “It was always my dream to play professional and international cricket, and doing so for Hampshire and England has been nothing short of living out those same childhood dreams,” Turner said in a statement.
“I have, however, decided to retire from the game, and as you can imagine, this has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make. The stress fracture, which has sidelined me for over a year, as well as my injury record, naturally made me think of my future both as a cricketer and away from the game, and subsequently, I decided now was the right time to pursue my next challenge.
“The five years I have been able to call myself a professional cricketer for Hampshire have been the greatest five years possible. From the day I joined the club in pursuit of a dream, everyone was extremely welcoming, and this never changed,” he added. Here, we know more about Turner and have a look at his professional career –
Turner was born on April 10, 2001, in South Africa. After completing his schooling in South Africa, he moved to the UK for studies. His exploits in cricket quickly earned him a place in the national team.
Turner made his England debut in an ODI against West Indies in 2024. He played two ODIs there in which he scalped as many wickets. The right-arm pacer made his T20I debut on the same tour and scalped one wicket in two games. He didn’t play Test cricket for England.
Turner made his first-class debut for Hampshire and only played 10 first-class matches, in which he scalped 25 wickets. He made his List A debut for Hampshire in 2021. He dismissed 37 wickets in 19 games.
Turner scalped 48 wickets in 35 T20s he played. Apart from Hampshire, he was also part of Paarl Royals and Trent Rockets in The Hundred. His performance in The Hundred 2023 earned him his maiden England call-up.