Michael Hogan to retire after 2022 season

The Glamorgan legend, 40, has taken 589 wickets for the Welsh county across all formats since joining the county ahead of the 2013 season

Michael Hogan will retire from professional cricket at the end of the 2022 season.

The Glamorgan legend, 40, has taken 589 wickets for the Welsh county across all formats since joining the county three years after the fairytale beginning of an unlikely career.

Hogan made his first-class debut aged 28, having been playing for The Cricketers Arms, a local pub team in New South Wales, seven years earlier.

At varying points, he worked as a groundsman for his local council and as an installer of television cables, before earning his chance with Western Australia via a mystery tip-off to then-coach Tom Moody. Three days later, he signed his first professional contract.

He arrived at Glamorgan ahead of the 2013 season, persuaded by the Australian axis of captain Marcus North and coach Matthew Mott, becoming a mainstay ever since.

^{Hogan took the final wicket as Glamorgan won the Royal London Cup in the summer (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)}

"I'd like to thank the club and our members for being incredibly welcoming to my family and I over the last ten years," he said. "Wales has felt like home and I'm looking forward to enjoying another successful season at this great club next year before I hang up my boots for good.

"I've been incredibly lucky with the longevity of my career, but time moves on and hopefully someone can come in and take my place."

He was due to be rewarded with a testimonial in 2020, but that has been postponed twice in a row due to the pandemic. It is now set to be celebrated through 2022 ahead of his retirement.

In all, he has made 248 appearances for Glamorgan, and it was fitting that he should take the last wicket in the Royal London Cup final in August, sparking wild celebrations as the club ended its wait for a first one-day final victory.

He captained in 2018 and was the county's player of the season five years earlier. Understated and rarely mentioned in discussions around the county circuit's old guard, there have been few more potent seamers in the domestic game since his arrival on account of a British passport.

^{Hogan has taken 589 wickets for Glamorgan across all formats (David Rogers/Getty Images)}

Hogan joined Glamorgan on the back of a fine season in Sheffield Shield cricket, picking up more wickets than James Pattinson, Doug Bollinger, Jackson Bird and Josh Hazlewood.

But Australia's coach at the time, Mickey Arthur, had stated his desire for a youthful, hostile seam attack, which meant Hogan knew where he stood. Over the eight seasons since, he has never taken fewer than 34 first-class wickets across a full campaign - and only once did he take fewer than 45.

"He's led our attack for nearly ten years and been a firm fan favourite amongst our members and supporters and will go down as one of the best players in our history and a true Glamorgan legend," added Hugh Morris, the county's chief executive.

"Though we knew this day would eventually come, it is bittersweet because he's been such a good player for us and is so influential, but he certainly deserves to go out on his own terms," said Mark Wallace, a former teammate and now Glamorgan's director of cricket.

"He's been fantastic for Glamorgan and would probably take a position in our greatest-ever side and that shows just how good he's been since arriving from Australia."