Somerset and England wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter has announced his immediate retirement from professional cricket at the age of 27 due to an eye injury.
Batting against Northants in July 2014, Kieswetter suffered a broken nose and a damaged eye socket after being hit by a David Willey bouncer.
Kieswetter returned for two matches at the end of the season and played in the South African Ram Slam T20 Challenge over the winter but struggled with his vision and was unable to perform to the best of his abilities.
The mental aspect of the injury was also a contributing factor to Kieswetter's retirement.
"Having gone through that experience of my eye injury and everything it entailed, I feel mentally I will never again be the player that I was."
"After been given the opportunity to take some time off and step away from the game, I've come to the decision that wasn't the easiest to make, yet I feel is the right one," Kieswetter said.
Kieswetter played 46 ODIs for England and 25 T20s. He made his debut in February 2010 against Bangladesh, scoring his maiden century in just his third ODI.
His shining moment at international level came during the 2010 T20 World Cup in the West Indies as he made 63 from 49 balls in the final in a man-of-the-match performance to guide England to their first, and only, global trophy.
Somerset director of cricket Matthew Maynard stated his disappointment regarding Kieswetter's retirement.
"This is sad news for all concerned. At his best Craig was one of, if not the most, explosive keeper-batsmen in the game. He is an extremely gifted cricketer who could win a game on his own."
In both first-class and one-day cricket Kieswetter averaged a shade under 40. However, he built a reputation as one of England's strongest T20 players with an average of 31.76.