Somerset wicketkeeper Steve Davies to retire from cricket at end of 2023 season

The 37-year-old has made over 600 appearances over the course of his career, scoring over 23,000 runs and securing 949 dismissals

Somerset wicketkeeper-batter Steve Davies will retire from cricket at the end of the 2023 season.

The 37-year-old has made over 600 appearances over the course of his career, scoring over 23,000 runs and securing 949 dismissals.

After making his debut for Worcestershire Cricket Board in 2002, he represented Worcestershire and Surrey before joining Somerset ahead of the 2017 campaign.

In total, Davies scored 14,298 runs at 37.23 in 254 first-class appearances, 5,959 runs at 34.83 in 197 List A appearances, and 2,850 runs with a strike rate above 140 in 153 T20 appearances.

^{Davies scored over 23,000 runs across his career [Harry Trump/Getty Images]}

Between March 2009 and February 2011, he earned 13 white-ball caps for England, scoring 244 runs, including one half-century, in eight ODIs and a further 102 runs in five T20Is.

However, in recent seasons Davies has found game time hard to come by, featuring just twice in the County Championship this season. His most recent T20 and List A outings came in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Announcing his retirement, Davies said: "I feel that now is the right time for me to retire. I always said to the club that as soon as we get the right person in place to take over, I would step aside and let them get their exposure and learning done while they are young. I think we can all agree that Somerset are in safe hands with Rewy [James Rew] behind the stumps!

"I'd like to thank all the members and supporters from Worcestershire, Surrey and Somerset who have always shown me great support. I also need to thank all the directors of cricket, CEOs, coaches and staff for all the opportunities they have given me.

^{Davies made 13 white-ball appearances for England [Julian Finney/Getty Images]}

"A special thank you has to go to Rob Wood, who was my first cricket coach. He gave me the fundamentals and skills needed to get me ready for a life of professional cricket.

"Finally, and most importantly, I'd like to say the biggest thank you to my family: Lin, Michael and my sister Gemma. They have always been by my side without question. They are great people and I love them all very much. I hope I have done them proud."

On his time at Somerset, he added: "During my time here we managed to win a couple of trophies and play some really good red-ball cricket. There was a period around the 'Covid years' when we were playing a brand of dominant cricket which will live long in my memory.

"Unfortunately for us, Essex were too, which meant we couldn't get our hands on that first Championship trophy."