Legendary all-rounder Samit Patel has announced the end of his 22-year professional association with Nottinghamshire.
Patel, who began his journey with the Green and Golds as a 14-year-old before a senior debut two years later, will conclude his time at Trent Bridge with over 700 wickets and nearly 21,000 runs across 629 games for the club in all formats.
During that time, he also picked up 60 England caps across all three formats of the international game.
“It has been a privilege and an honour to represent Nottinghamshire, a place that I have called home for nearly three decades,” Patel said.
“The club has played a huge role in developing the young nine-year-old I was when I joined the club to become the cricketer I am today.
“I look back on my career at Trent Bridge with tremendous affection; some of my fondest memories have come whilst donning the green and gold in front of the best fans in the world, engaging in battles on the field and winning trophies for the club.
“When I signed my first contract at 15, I dreamt of representing my country in all three formats. I have no doubt that the club’s unwavering support helped me to achieve these goals and, for that, I will be eternally grateful.
“Nothing would have given me greater pleasure than to see out my career with Notts, but whilst I haven’t been offered a new contract at Trent Bridge, I feel determined that I still have a lot to offer the game with both bat and ball. I'm looking forward to beginning my next chapter, contributing on and off the field wherever those opportunities may arise.
“Finally, thank you to all the members, supporters, staff and teammates who have walked through the gates at Trent Bridge. If it was not for you guys, I would not be the man I am today.”
Patel has secured six trophies with Nottinghamshire, twice winning the County Championship (2005/2010), T20 Blast (2017/2020), and the domestic List A trophy (2013/2017).
2017 was a golden year personally for Patel, too, as he blasted a run-a-ball 122 against in a successful chase of 371 against Essex in the Royal London One-Day Cup semi-final and 64 in the T20 Blast final to see the Outlaws defeat Warwickshire.
“It has been a privilege and an honour to represent Nottinghamshire, a place that I have called home for nearly three decades. The club has played a huge role in developing the young nine-year-old I was when I joined the club to become the cricketer I am today.” Samit Patel
In the same season, he became the first Notts batter to make consecutive double centuries in the County Championship with scores of 257 and 247 against Gloucestershire and Leicestershire respectively.
Resultantly, he lifted a trio of prestigious awards as Nottinghamshire Player of the Year, the Professional Cricket Association’s Most Valuable Player and the PCA Player of the Year - the first Notts-based recipient of the latter award since Sir Richard Hadlee in 1987.
“Samit richly deserves the adulation he will get as his time at Notts comes to a close,” Director of Cricket, Mick Newell, said.
“That we associate him so closely with the club shows how important he has been in the successes we have achieved over the last two decades, and what a favourite he has become with our members and supporters.
“To have his kind of longevity at one club is no mean feat, and speaks volumes of his passion for the county, and the regard in which he has been held by his coaches and peers across his career here.
“I am grateful for his service to the club and the sacrifices he has made to wear the Nottinghamshire shirt. I know he has done so with immense pride, and that has played out in his performances on the pitch.
“He always wanted to be the man to get Notts over the line, and credit has to go to him for that attitude which has served him and us so well over many years.
“He leaves us with our very best wishes for his next chapter, and the knowledge that he'll always be warmly received as a visitor to Trent Bridge.”
In June 2021 - the year he was named the PCA’s Vitality Blast Player of the Year for his performances in the limited-overs competition - Patel also became the fifth man, and first English player, to do the T20 double of taking 250 wickets and scoring 5,000 runs.
In 2022, he played a leading part in Trent Rockets’ men winning The Hundred in the competition’s second year, finishing as the team’s top wicket taker with 13.