New signing announced by Leicestershire

Leicestershire have announced the signing of seam bowler Tom Taylor.

Taylor, 23, has signed an initial contract for the 2018 season after leaving Derbyshire by mutual consent.

He has taken 64 first-class wickets in 25 appearances – his maiden one being that of South Africa’s Hashim Amla – and returned career-best figures of six for 61 against Lancashire. His highest score with the bat is 80, against Kent.

Taylor said: “I am really pleased to be joining Leicestershire County Cricket Club and taking on this exciting new challenge in my career.

“I am looking forward to working with new head coach Paul Nixon and his assistant John Sadler, who I really enjoyed working with at Derbyshire.”

Nixon said: “Tom is a quality seamer who has started his career well with the ball and he will add strength to our seam department.”

Fazakerley, who made his first-class debut for the county in July, has decided to focus on a career outside of the game.

He said: “I’d like to thank everybody for giving me the opportunity to play professional cricket but I have decided that now is the right time to pursue opportunities outside of cricket.”

Leicestershire chief executive Wasim Khan said: “We fully understand Will’s decision to look for a different direction in his life outside of professional cricket and we wish him all the very best in the future.”