Yorkshire release 'shocked' Hoggard

Matthew Hoggard's 15-year association with Yorkshire has come to completion

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Matthew Hoggard is set for a new chapter in his playing career after Yorkshire confirmed they have not offered him a new contract.

A Yorkshire spokesman told ecb.co.uk that the 32-year-old former England seamer is now free to look for a new county, ending a 15-year association with the club.

Hoggard turned down a two-year deal, with an option for a third year, at the start of the season. During the course of the summer Yorkshire reconsidered their options and last Thursday informed Hoggard he would not be offered an extension.

The county said the decision was made in part to satisfy the ECB’s new regulations to encourage the emergence of young English talent.

Hoggard, who made his Yorkshire debut in 1996, went on to win 67 Test and 26 one-day international caps. The last came in the first Test against New Zealand in March 2008.

He was Yorkshire’s leading wicket-taker in this season’s LV= County Championship, with 43, including a hat-trick against Sussex that went a long way to securing the White Rose’s Division One status.

He was used sparingly in limited-overs matches, his three appearances all coming in the NatWest Pro40.

Yorkshire’s chief executive Stewart Regan said: “Matthew Hoggard’s bowling statistics speak for themselves and he has been one of the country’s top bowlers during his time at the club.

“On behalf of the board of directors I would like to thank him for his outstanding contribution to the game of cricket for both Yorkshire and England and wish him and his family all the very best going forward.”

Martyn Moxon, director of professional cricket, added: “I would like to thank Hoggy for his contribution to the team during my time here at Yorkshire.

“He always gave 100% and his presence in the team has dug us out of a hole on more than one occasion. I know he will continue to give his all and I wish him every success in the future.”

Yorkshire clarified Hoggard had not been offered the captaincy as was suggested in The Times

A story in The Times suggested Hoggard was being considered for the Yorkshire captaincy next season, as successor to Anthony McGrath.

However, the county clarified this had been Hoggard’s suggestion to chairman Colin Graves and the player had not been offered the position.

Hoggard told the newspaper: “I’m shocked and bitterly disappointed. I think I’ve been loyal to Yorkshire.

“I wanted to commit the rest of my career to the club and I would have relished the thought of captaincy, which I had discussed with Colin Graves and Martyn Moxon.

“Now I have effectively been sacked and I’m not even going to play for Yorkshire again, which makes me incredibly sad.”

He continued: “What really upsets me is that I wasn’t given the chance in my final game to say goodbye to the Yorkshire supporters, who have been so good to me over the years.

“Other players who knew they weren’t going to be around next year were given a handshake and a send-off in front of the fans.

“All I got after 15 years at the club was a cup of coffee in the chief executive’s office.”

Hoggard added: “I’m just going to have to look at other options now. I was looking forward to using my experience to bring on the next generation of Yorkshire bowlers, but I’ll have to do that somewhere else now.

“I still feel as though I’ve got a good few years in me and it’s up to me now to prove that Yorkshire were wrong to let me go.”