 Nel was a favourite among cricket fans around the world
|
South Africa fast bowler Andre Nel has announced his immediate retirement from international cricket.
The 31-year-old has decided instead to sign a three-year contract with English county side Surrey.
"I am delighted to be joining Surrey as I enter a new phase of my career," said Nel, who previously had spells with Northamptonshire and Essex.
One of the game's most charismatic performers, he took 231 wickets in all forms of cricket for South Africa.
And national team coach Mickey Arthur hailed him as "a very passionate player who always gave 110% for his country".
In all, Nel played 36 Tests, 79 one-day internationals and two Twenty20 games for the Proteas.
He lost his place following last year's tour to England and leant last month that he would not be awarded a new central contract.
Nel will be eligible for Surrey as a non-overseas player under the terms of the Kolpak ruling and is the second major signing by new manager Chris Adams, who has also recruited New Zealand all-rounder Grant Elliott.
"The addition of Andre Nel to the Surrey dressing room underlines the ambition I have for the club. He has proven pace, power and wicket-taking ability and will be a fantastic addition to our pace team," Adams commented.
Born in Transvaal, Nel made his international debut in 2001, the same year when he hit the headlines after bursting into tears when he felled his idol Allan Donald with a bouncer.
 |
Surrey are a huge club, entering an exciting new era with Chris Adams at the helm
Andre Nel
|
His career has also been marked by a series of disciplinary offences, but he nevertheless became a favourite of fans around the world as a result of his non-stop, sometimes histrionic, aggression towards batsmen.
During a 2007 interview, Nel endeared himself further to cricket fans by blaming his snarling on-field demeanour on an alter-ego named Gunther, who he described as "a guy who lives in the mountains and doesn't get enough oxygen to the brain".
Surrey now hope he will use that aggression to help them to win promotion back to Division One of the County Championship, having been relegated last summer.
He said he had taken the decision to quit the international scene with a "heavy heart", but added: "Surrey are a huge club, entering an exciting new era with Chris Adams at the helm.
"I am looking forward to using my experience to work with some of the younger bowlers on the staff and ensure they get back to the top of the English game.
"I cannot wait to arrive in April and pull on the Surrey shirt for the first game of the season."
No comments:
Post a Comment