Thursday 18 August 2016 16:57, UK
Veteran Glamorgan spinner Dean Cosker has announced his retirement after two decades in first-class cricket.
The 38-year-old is the last remaining active player from the Welsh county's 1997 County Championship success and calls time on his career having taken 957 wickets for Glamorgan and England A.
Cosker has spent his entire career with Glamorgan and made his county debut in 1996 against Lancashire.
Cosker took 20 wickets in the following season, helping Glamorgan win their third championship title at Somerset. During that match he would record the wicket which all but secured their title success.
He spent the 1997/98 winter with England A on their tours of east Africa and Sri Lanka and he returned to the England set-up last year, having been a fielding substitute during the Ashes Test at Cardiff.
Cosker proved to be pivotal for Glamorgan in their National League title victories in 2002 and 2004 and he would also play in two Lord's finals over the course of his career.
His best first-class season was to arrive in 2010 when he notched 51 wickets and he enjoyed his finest T20 season last year, recording a total of 17 wickets.
Cosker played in Glamorgan's first nine Twenty20 fixtures this season and the final match of his career was on July 14, with Middlesex beating the Welsh side by 28 runs in Cardiff. He scored two runs but did not take any wickets from 40 balls.
"I feel very humbled and privileged to have had the opportunity to represent Glamorgan Cricket over the past 21 years," Cosker said.
"I have loved my time at Glamorgan and feel proud to say this was the only county I ever wanted to play for."
Glamorgan chief executive Hugh Morris said: "Dean has enjoyed a terrific career with Glamorgan and has been a great ambassador for the club both on and off the field for more than 20 years.
"It was a pleasure to play with Dean at the beginning of his career and it has been great working with him over the last few years as a professional cricketer."
