Vernon Philander signs Kolpak deal with Somerset

Vernon Philander will be joining Somerset on a Kolpak deal after his retirement from international cricket post the series versus England. Philander had earlier played for Somerset back in 2012 for a five-match stint but this Kolpak deal will see him play more regularly for them. Philander had picked 23 wickets in those five games and had instantly impressed the cricket board to offer him a Kolpak deal post his retirement.

"I'm really pleased to have agreed personal terms with Somerset," Philander told Cricbuzz.

"I know that they won the 50-over cup last year and came close in the Championship and hopefully I'll be able to help them to another successful year in 2020. Right now, I am 100% focused on the series against England and then my focus will turn to my next chapter," he further added.

Somerset Director for Cricket Andy Hurry was extremely happy and upbeat about the prospect of the South African joining their team and was looking forward to the skill-sets that he would provide to the team.

"Vernon is undoubtedly a genuinely world-class performer and we are delighted to have agreed terms with such a talented player. When the possibility of signing him presented itself, and considering the challenges that we feel lie ahead of us with regards to achieving our aspirations, we felt that it was too good an opportunity to miss," Hurry added.

Philander is a dangerous customer on seaming wickets and swinging conditions as his style of bowling stump-to stump and his ability to seam the ball both ways is something that many young bowlers in the Somerset team can learn from. He brings a wealth of experience to the squad and will help Somerset challenge again for the County Championship.

"The addition of Vernon to our bowling unit will enable us to continue to manage the workloads of all of our quality seamers through the demands of a full and demanding season even more effectively," Hurry concluded.