The Somerset Country Cricket Club has on Friday (January 31) finalized the Kolpak deal with the recently-retired South African fast-bowler Vernon Philander for the 2020 season.
The club officially announced the signing of Philander on Friday after completing paperwork with the pacer while confirming that the Proteas bowler will join the Club in early April.
Philander is returning to Somerset after seven years having represented the English county side in 2012 picking 23 wickets at 21.43 in his five outings for the side.
The all-rounder has played for as many as five English counties so far and he had already “agreed personal terms” with Somerset in December last year, as the 34-year-old has signed a two-year contract and will be available to play in all formats of the game for the side.
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As per a report in the Somerset’s official website, Director for Cricket Andy Hurry said of Philander's signing: “Vernon is undoubtedly a genuinely world-class performer and we are delighted to have agreed on terms with such a talented player. When the possibility of signing him presented itself and considering the challenges that we feel lie ahead of us with regards to achieving our aspirations, we felt that it was too good an opportunity to miss.”
Hurry further said, “To put it simply, he is one of the very best bowlers in the game and he would add quality to any team in the world. His experience and knowledge of the game will also be of huge benefit to our bowling group, especially the young players looking to break into the First XI. The addition of Vernon to our bowling unit will enable us to continue to manage the workloads of all of our quality seamers through the demands of a full and demanding season even more effectively.”
Meanwhile, Philander pleased that that Somerset had agreed on personal terms, adding: “I'm really pleased to have agreed on personal terms with Somerset.”
He signed off by saying, “It's a great Club and I really enjoyed my time there a few years ago. I know that they won the 50-over cup last year and came close in the Championship and hopefully I'll be able to help the Club to another successful year in 2020.”
Noteworthy, Philander represented South Africa in 101 international games across all formats, taking 269 wickets and scoring over 1940 runs and recently retired from the international cricket after recent England Test series at home.
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)
