Nottinghamshire all-rounder Paul Franks retires

Nottinghamshire all-rounder Paul Franks has announced his retirement from first-class cricket.

The 36-year-old has decided to call it a day after taking 792 first-team wickets for his home county.

Franks, from Mansfield, is a two-time winner of the County Championship title with Notts, lifting the trophy in 2005 and 2010.

He made his debut in 1996, was capped by the county in 1999, made one appearance for England in 2000 and was granted a benefit year in 2007.

Franks will continue his captaincy of Nottinghamshire's Second XI, having led them to the Championship title this year for the first time since 1985.

"It's about closing a chapter and moving into a new one," he said.

"Playing for Nottinghamshire in first-class cricket has meant an enormous amount to me. The shirt and the cap really matters.

"Now the work we're doing with the young players in the Academy team and Second XI is going from strength-to-strength and will continue to do so.

"My responsibility is to make them aware of what it takes to be the next Luke Wood, Brett Hutton or Jake Ball.

"I'm a good example of what can happen if you give everything you've got. You can be the one that has a long career and does a decent job along the way."

Franks retires having taken 524 first-class wickets in 215 matches. In 1997, his first full season, he took the first Notts hat-trick for a decade, becoming the youngest bowler in the club's history to achieve the feat.

He scored a total of 7,185 first-class runs at an average of 28, with four hundreds and 41 fifties. In white ball cricket, he has taken 218 wickets averaging 28.79 and scored seven half-centuries.

Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire's director of cricket, has praised the long-serving all-rounder's contribution to the club.

"He's made a huge contribution over the time he's been here," he said. "For many years he's been a stalwart of the first team, he's made a terrific contribution with ball and bat.

"He's played a major role in some of our best team performances and some of our best seasons as well.

"He was our leading bowler from a very young age and that's a terrific indictment of the quality of bowler he was.

"Then, over the years, he matured in his game and made major contributions over time."