Hampshire Cricket icon Dimitri Mascarenhas is to retire from all forms of cricket for Hampshire at the end of the 2013 campaign.

It brings an end to an 18-year county career, all of which has been spent at Hampshire, during which time he picked up six domestic trophies.

Mascarenhas, 35, also played 20 ODIs for England as well as 14 International t20s.

The all-rounder - the leading English-qualified wicket-taker in t20 histiory – was also the first English player to feature in the lucrative Indian Premier League.

However, following struggles with a recurring Achilles injury first suffered in 2010, Mascarenhas has reluctantly called time on his county cricket career.

Mascarenhas said; “It’s been the toughest decision of my life to call time on my career at Hampshire.

“I feel I have so much left, but my Achilles just isn’t up to it and, as a result, I have to retire.

“I have had an amazing time here for 18 seasons; there have been many highs and lows, but one thing that has stayed constant is the guys I have played with.

“All have been tremendous talents and, more importantly, top blokes.”

Born in London but raised in Australia, Mascarenhas returned to England to play in the Southern League for Bournemouth before joining Hampshire in 1996.

He is the only current Hampshire player to have appeared for the county in the last century.

He scored the first hundred at The Ageas Bowl, against Worcestershire in 2001, and took the first hat-trick recorded in t20 cricket amongst his career-best 5- 14 against Sussex at Hove in 2004.

He also played a big part in his team’s victorious 2005 Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy campaign.

He was awarded a benefit year by Hampshire in 2007, the year when he made his England ODI debut.

Mascarenhas hit five sixes in a single over from Yuvraj Singh at The Oval that year – a unique record for any England player.

In recent seasons, Mascarenhas been a key part of the most successful period in Hampshire’s history.

He helped the county win the 2009 Friends Provident Trophy as well as playing an integral part in the side’s victorious Clydesdale Bank 40 and t20 campaigns last season.

His Achilles injury caused him to miss Hampshire’s t20 win on Ageas Bowl soil in 2010.

In total, he has scored more than 12,000 runs in all formats and taken nearly 900 wickets.

He is only five runs shy of making it 6,500 scored at first class level, where he has bagged 450 wickets.