The England left-handed batsman said events off the pitch had "burnt him out" and he would now make children Henry and Amelia the centre of his life.

"This has been a very difficult decision for me to make," said Thorpe, who turns 33 on Thursday.

"I have enjoyed being a part of the Surrey and the England dressing rooms this summer.

"I have every intention of continuing my career as a professional cricketer.

"But I am feeling very worn-down and burnt out by events off-the-field which have become a major distraction for me and prevented me from fully focusing on my cricket."

Thorpe made his announcement shortly after England had won the first Test against India at Lord's, a match in which he made scores of 4 and 1.

He had already said he would play no more one-day cricket after the NatWest triangular series earlier this summer.

His decision will mean England will have to look for an extra batsman to play in the second Test at Nottingham starting on 8 August.

Thorpe, who had endured a difficult divorce from wife Nicky, added: "What I'm planning to do now is take a break from cricket so I can make my children the number one priority in my life.

"I'm fully aware of the consequences as far as my England Test place is concerned.

Balancing act

"This will create an opportunity for another player to come into the team and I have had to balance that possibility against the needs of my family.

"Retirement is definitely not in my mind at the moment. I feel that I have plenty more cricket in me at the highest level.

"Hopefully this break will recharge my batteries and allow me to resume my career once my domestic situation has been resolved."

Surrey chief executive Paul Sheldon said the county side would miss Thorpe's services.

He said: "Both Surrey and England will miss him terribly but one has to respect someone's personal life in this situation."