Andre Nel was a muscular, bludgeoning fast bowler who belied his conservative Afrikaans upbringing by amassing one of South African cricket's most chequered disciplinary records.

Nel was tipped from an early age as a future international and he first made the headlines in February 2001, when he felled his hero Allan Donald with a fierce bouncer in a domestic first-class match - and burst into tears when Donald was forced to leave the field. Later that year Nel was one of five South African players found guilty of smoking marijuana during the tour of the West Indies. And he was sent home from an A tour of Australia in 2003 after being found to be driving under the influence of alcohol.

He finally established himself as a permanent member of the Test team during the home series against West Indies in 2003-04 - and was only in trouble once, for making gestures to Chris Gayle.

Nel came into his own during South Africa's tour of Australia at the end of 2005, where he was an intimidating presence with 14 wickets and an attacking mindset. However, during a return series at home, he took only six wickets, and was involved in a heated argument with Adam Gilchrist in the second Test after being slammed for runs.

Nel chipped in with wickets and more than a mouthful of words and cheeky grins against India at home in 2006-07, but will probably be remembered most from the Test series for being at the receiving end of a big six and a famous impromptu dance from Indian bowler Sreesanth. New secured a place in the 2007 World Cup squad but wasn't a certainty on the final team sheet. However, his spells against England and Bangladesh showed what he brought to the attack and his commitment was never questioned.

With South Africa settling on a young fast-bowling attack, led by Dale Steyn, opportunities were increasingly limited and Nel announced his international retirement in March 2009.