Veteran seamer Tim Groenewald retires from cricket

In all, he claimed 625 wickets, including 16 five-wicket hauls, while he was also a handy lower-order batsman, scoring more than 3,000 runs across his career

Tim Groenewald has retired from cricket due to injury, ending a career that spanned 362 professional appearances.

The seamer, 37, joined Kent ahead of the 2020 season but previously played for Derbyshire, Somerset and Warwickshire, where he made his first-class debut in 2006.

In all, he claimed 625 wickets, including 16 five-wicket hauls, while he was also a handy lower-order batsman, scoring more than 3,000 runs across his career.

Groenewald said: “I feel privileged to have played professional cricket for 16 years, I will always be extremely grateful to the clubs I’ve represented and the opportunities they have afforded me.

“I’ve made some lifelong friends and memories along the way and will cherish those forever. I required knee surgery in April and despite amazing support from the medical team at Kent and giving it every chance, I haven’t recovered well enough to return to playing.”

Beneath the helmet, Harry Finch is taking his second chance

Groenewald only played nine games for Kent after arriving at the county at the conclusion of the 2019 campaign, but Harry Finch told The Cricketer last week of the veteran bowler’s influential role on the sidelines as a mentor to the young bowlers called upon by the club after Kent’s first team squad were forced to self-isolate last week, with a youthful second string called into action in their place.

Kent director of cricket Paul Downton added: “Tim has enjoyed a long and successful career in first-class cricket playing for a number of counties and winning several titles. He has been a great role model for any young player in the way that he has conducted himself both on and off the pitch.

“[He] will be missed in the dressing room here at Kent – he has been a popular and highly respected figure within the squad and a particularly valuable source of knowledge and experience for our young bowlers. I am pleased to say that Tim will stay with us until the end of the season in a coaching capacity.

“On behalf of everyone at the club, I’d like to wish Tim the very best in the next chapter of his career, and he will always be welcome back at Kent Cricket.”

His retirement comes on the same day as that of another stalwart of the county game, with Surrey’s Rikki Clarke announcing this season will be his last.