England and Somerset wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter has retired from cricket due to an eye injury.

The 27-year-old suffered damage to his eye socket and cheekbone when a ball hit him through his helmet grille while batting against Northants last summer.

Kieswetter, who made his one-day international and T20 debuts back in 2010, visited a specialist in Belgium earlier this year in an attempt to rectify the career-threatening damage.

However, the South Africa-born player has now decided to step away from the sport, telling Somerset's official website: "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.

"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. I have had a terrific career, with plenty of ups and occasional downs, and I am calling time on my career and walking away with no regrets.

"There are so many people that I am grateful to yet most importantly I need to thank my family, without whom nothing I have achieved would have been possible. Their sacrifices to help me to be able to achieve some fantastic success defines the importance of family."

Kieswetter qualified to play for England in 2010 and was handed his debut soon after against Bangladesh.