Former England batsman Mark Butcher has retired from cricket with immediate effect after admitting defeat in his battle with ongoing knee problems.
Surrey captain Butcher, who played 71 Test matches between 1997 and 2004, managed five LV County Championship outings this season but after undergoing further surgery a fortnight ago, decided to call time on his 17-year career.
The stylish 36-year-old, who is best remembered for his match-winning 173 not out against Australia at Headingley in 2001, made his first-class bow in 1992 and scored 38 centuries, eight on them for England.
His dashing innings against the Australians - as England chased down 315 to win the match - kickstarted an international career that had hitherto failed to ignite.
Butcher's time as Brown Caps skipper, which briefly overlapped with father Alan's stint as coach, coincided with a notable downturn in fitness, with persistent fitness problems affecting his ability to reverse the county's ailing fortunes.
Butcher said: "It was a very tough decision to walk away from the club that I have called home since I was a boy and the game that has given me so many great memories but, I feel that it is the right time to move onto the next chapter in my life."
