Prince retirement set for end of county season.

Prince's two-year contract with Lancashire expires at
the end of the 2014 campaign.

It has been announced that Ashwell Prince is set to retire from all forms of cricket at the end of the 2014 English domestic season.

The 36-year-old batsman has played 66 matches at Test level for South Africa and was a big part of Lancashire's success in Division Two last season, scoring 1,169 runs as they made an immediate return to the top-flight.

His last appearance at International level was in late 2011 and since then he has been an integral part of Peter Moores' plans at Emirates Old Trafford, providing experience in a squad with a majority of young, home-grown talent.

With the lack of a replacement overseas for Simon Katich in the 2014 campaign, Prince will be crucial this season as Lancashire attempt to not only avoid an immediate return to the second division, but perhaps challenge for the title.

In his first stint with the Red Rose outfit, Prince was the only Lancashire player to score 1,000 runs or more in the 2009-10 season and since making his return he has continued to play a significant role in the team.

Prince has scored a total of 3,153 first-class runs for Lancashire at an average of 46.43, including seven centuries and 22 fifties.

In 2012, Prince's accumulation of 1,008 runs was not enough to prevent relegation, but Lancashire took Division Two by storm last season and made an immediate return, led by Prince, Katich and Luis Reece, who recently scored 85 for the M.C.C squad in Abu Dhabi.

His continued contributions in four-day cricket have somewhat eclipsed his one-day potential, but Prince has proved to be a more than useful asset on a number of occasions for the Lightning during his time at the club.

His accumulation of 506 runs was, once again, the highest by any Lancashire player, and his efforts were rewarded with the one-day player of the year award.

One of Prince's finest hours came at Canterbury last year, where he scored centuries in both innings, becoming one of only a handful of Lancashire players to do so.

With Lancashire facing an ambitious task this season, he is certain to be a key performer and will leave a large void to fill when his time at the club reaches an end.