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Australian paceman Michael Hogan will enjoy one last season as a Glamorgan county cricket hero before calling it quits - at the ripe old age of 41.
Australian Michael Hogan, the paceman who turned down Justin Langer to travel to Britain and become a county cricket hero, is to enjoy one final summer with Glamorgan - before hanging up his boots at the grand old age of 41.
The evergreen Newcastle bowler announced on Monday that he'll retire from the sport at the end of 2022 after a testimonial year with the Welsh county where he's become what Glamorgan officials describe as "a legend" for his wicket-taking.
It will be a happy and emotional ending to a late-blooming career which saw Hogan reject Langer's bid to keep him playing at Western Australia when he was coach there nine years ago.
But Hogan, who'd become a regular wicket taker on lively tracks there, decided to gamble on throwing in his lot with Glamorgan, where he's become a hugely popular and influential figure down the years.
Hogan, who'd only started in the first-class game at 28 after working as a groundsman, has gone on to make 248 appearances and take 589 wickets across all formats since joining the county.
"I'm 41 (in May) and need to spend more time with my family. I've missed out on a lot with the kids, and it's probably the right time for me, and for the club to look to the future," Hogan told BBC Wales.
"I'm incredibly happy with my form, it's been nice to play at such a great club, but time moves on, there's always a replacement and hopefully someone else will have a successful 10 or 15 year career with Glamorgan."
Even this season at 40, Hogan was Glamorgan's top Championship wicket-taker and, fittingly, took the last Durham wicket as they won the One-Day Cup final at Trent Bridge, their first trophy in 17 years.
"My wife (who has a legal career) has put her life on hold for the last 15 years while we've travelled around the world so maybe it's up to her what we do next. It's undecided whether it'll be in the UK or Australia," added Hogan.
Glamorgan's director of cricket, Mark Wallace, said: "His testimonial is hugely deserved after years of incredible service at Glamorgan.
"Michael's been fantastic for Glamorgan and would probably take a position in our greatest-ever side - and that shows just how good he's been since arriving from Australia.
"Knowing Michael, he'd like to go out on a high and no doubt there are plenty more wickets left in him before he goes riding off into the sunset."
