England fast bowler John Turner announces shock retirement at 25

John Turner, the Hampshire fast bowler who played four internationals for England in 2024, has announced a shock retirement from the professional game at the age of 25. Turner, who was born in Johannesburg, had two years left to run on his Hampshire contract and held an ECB development contract until late last year. He had an impressive record across domestic formats and took three wickets in two ODIs and two T20Is during England's tour of West Indies in late 2024. He had not played any cricket since last June due to a back stress fracture, and said his injury record had informed the difficult call to quit professional cricket. He is an economics and finance graduate from the University of Exeter, and said this was the "right time to pursue my next challenge" in life. "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. Because of the stress fracture, which has kept me out of the game for more than a year, and my history of injuries, I naturally considered my future as a cricketer and outside of the game. As a result, I decided that now was the right time to take on 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. Everyone was extremely welcoming from the day I joined the club in pursuit of a dream, and this did not change. "The opportunity and belief the club showed in me are something I could never thank them enough for. I have experienced more over the last few years than I could ever imagine, and none of that would be possible without the support from everyone at the club." Turner attended Hilton College, a prestigious South African institution, but moved to the United Kingdom for college because of his British passport and his English mother. After a successful trial, he signed with Hampshire in 2021 and was selected for the England squad for the first time in 2023 after impressing in the Hundred. He struggled to break into Hampshire's County Championship side and only played seven first-class matches for them, plus three on loan at Lancashire in early 2025 before injuries hit again. Giles White, Hampshire's director of cricket, said: "John is an exceptionally talented player, and all of Hampshire Cricket is saddened that his journey in the professional game has come to an end. "Over the past five years, he has been a huge part of Hampshire's success, reaching four T20 Finals Days, competing at the top of Division One in the County Championship, and twice reaching the One-Day Cup final. "He gave everything for the club and for England, and whilst we are saddened that he has called time on his playing career, we wish him all the best in his next chapter, and we will look forward to welcoming him back in the future."