County Cricket News / Updates Thread - 2016 Season

Monty Panesar could return to Northamptonshire as he looks to revive his career, with the possibility that the ECB will contribute to his wages.
When Panesar was released by Essex at the end of the 2015 season it appeared his career might be over. Despite his relative youth at the age of 33 and obvious talent - he has taken 167 wickets in his 50 Tests - many in the game were jaded by his erratic behaviour. Both his previous clubs, Essex and Sussex, dropped him due to disciplinary issues

 

Essex have signed New Zealand A fast bowler Matt Quinn on a three-year deal.
Auckland-born Quinn, 22, holds a UK passport and will not therefore count as an overseas player.

 

Northamptonshire have confirmed the return of Rory Kleinveldt as their overseas signing for 2016. Kleinveldt was voted Players' Player of the Year after finishing the 2015 season with 79 wickets across the three formats.

 

Sussex have signed New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor as their overseas player for the first half of the 2016 season. The 31-year-old, who has played 68 Tests, 166 one-dayers and 64 T20 internationals, will be available for all formats from April until late July. Taylor previously played T20 cricket in England for Durham in 2010.
Sussex have been able to move for Taylor because Australian pace bowler Steve Magoffin is set to qualify as a non-overseas player.
Magoffin, 36, has an English wife and has applied for a UK passport.

 

Gloucestershire have signed right-arm pace bowler Andrew Tye for the 2016 Twenty20 Blast competition.
The uncapped Australian, 29, starred for Perth Scorchers as they lifted the 2015 Big Bash title, including figures of 4-18 in the semi-final.
Tye, who played second XI cricket for Somerset, Durham and Northants, has only appeared in 13 Twenty20 matches

 

Essex have announced James Foster is no longer their club captain after five years leading the Division Two side.
However the 35-year-old has been offered a contract extension

 

New Zealand batsman Brendon McCullum has signed to play limited-overs cricket for Middlesex next summer.
The 34-year-old will join the county when his Indian Premier League stint comes to an end and stay until 25 June.
He could potentially appear in seven T20 Blast matches and four in the 50-over One-Day Cup.

 

An emergency fund has been set up to help Yorkshire clubs afflicted by the "unprecedented" level of flooding that has ravaged the north of England. Following the severe Boxing Day floods across the region, the Yorkshire Cricket Board - in conjunction with the ECB - has set up an emergency fund to support clubs who are affected.

 

Toby Radford has left his position as head coach of Glamorgan a year before his contract was due to end.
Radford joined the Welsh county after leaving his role as batting coach with West Indies in October 2013.
Glamorgan finished fourth in Division Two of the County Championship in 2015.

 

Lancashire County Cricket Club have launched an appeal to help communities affected by the recent floods.
The Old Trafford club hope the Red Rose Floods Appeal will reach an initial target of £10,000.

 

Matthew Hobden, the Sussex pace bowler, has died at the age of 22. The news was announced by his county club late on Saturday evening and no further details were provided at the time.
"Sussex Cricket is deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of Matthew Hobden," a Sussex statement said.

 

Worcestershire have signed New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry for the first half of the 2016 season.
Henry, 24, will fill in as the county's main overseas player from early April until the end of June.
South African Kyle Abbott will then take over in early July for the second half of the season.

 

Leicestershire have been granted planning permission to install floodlights at Grace Road, a development that has been viewed as vital to the club's survival.
Floodlit evening T20 matches have become increasingly important to driving gate revenue in the domestic game and Wasim Khan, Leicestershire's chief executive, said the decision would help the club "retain and grow our audiences".

 

Graham Napier, the Essex all-rounder, has announced he will retire at the end of 2016 English season to take up a position running his cricket academy.
Napier, 36, made his Essex debut in 1997 and is widely considered a player unlucky not to have earned an England cap in white-ball cricket. The closest he came was when he was named in the 2009 World T20 squad but did not feature in the starting XI during the tournament.

 

Ashar Zaidi, the former Sussex all-rounder, has joined Essex on a one-year deal, and will be available in all three formats after impressing in the recent Bangladesh Premier League.

 

Worcestershire have replaced Colin Munro with fellow New Zealand international Mitchell Santner for this summer's T20 Blast.
The 23-year-old left-handed all-rounder is due to link up with last season's quarter-finalists in mid-May.
Santner, who made his international breakthrough in limited-over cricket on last summer's tour of England, made his Test debut in November.

 

Australia all-rounder Dan Christian will rejoin Nottinghamshire as their overseas player for the T20 Blast.
Christian, 32, took four wickets and scored 65 runs at strike rate of 127.45 in last summer's competition.

 

Lancashire have signed New Zealand seamer Neil Wagner as their overseas player for the 2016 campaign.
Wagner, 29, who has featured in 18 Tests, will predominantly play first-class cricket during his time at Old Trafford

 

Middlesex have re-signed New Zealand bowler Mitchell McClenaghan as their overseas player for 2016.
The 29-year-old, who will be available to play in all formats, will move to Lord's when his commitments in the Indian Premier League are finished.

 

Kent have signed former Hampshire and Gloucestershire wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Rouse on a two-year deal.
The 23-year-old former England Under-19 international had a trial spell with Kent at the start of last season and featured for their second XI in 2014.