Sussex sign South Africa seamer Vernon Philander

09 December 2016 08:08

Sussex have signed South Africa seamer Vernon Philander for the first half of the 2017 season.

The 31-year-old, who has taken 142 Test wickets at an average of 22.21, is set to feature in Sussex's first six Specsavers County Championship Division Two matches and the Royal London One-Day Cup group stage.

He has previously played county cricket for Middlesex, Somerset, Kent and Nottinghamshire.

"I am thrilled to have Vernon joining us for the first two months of the season," said Sussex head coach Mark Davis.

"He is one of the leading bowlers in world cricket and to have him bowling in English conditions is a very exciting prospect for the club.

"His international experience with both bat and ball will be invaluable to our young players and we are looking forward to him joining us in April."

The move gives Philander the opportunity to get overs under his belt and familiarise himself with conditions ahead of South Africa's Test series in England starting in July.

"I'm really looking forward to getting to Hove and playing for Sussex for the first couple of months of the English season," he said.

"Although I haven't come up against Sussex much in my time playing in England, I've always heard good things about the club and set-up.

"Hopefully I can put in some good performances to help the team in both red and white ball cricket, and pass on my experience to some of the younger players who I've heard such positive reports about.

"Mark Davis, the coaching team and Luke Wright are building an exciting squad and I'm excited to be a part of that in 2017."

Source: PA