Taylor and Sheikh to leave Leicestershire
Mon 22 Aug 2016
Leicestershire County Cricket Club has announced that Rob Taylor and Atif Sheikh will not be offered new contracts for the 2017 season.
Taylor has scored 1,073 first-class runs for Leicestershire at an average of 21.03 while also claiming 72 wickets at an average of 39.18 in red ball cricket.
The Scotland international has also been a good performer for Leicestershire Foxes with the white ball. In 2016, Taylor topped the batting averages in the Royal London One-Day Cup and was also the club’s joint leading wicket-taker in that competition.
Taylor collected career-bests with bat and ball in the three appearances he made before picking up an injury. The left-hander scored 62 against Warwickshire at Edgbaston and averaged 29.87 in his Foxes career. Figures of 4-58 were recorded against Durham and, all told, Taylor picked up 37 List A wickets at 28.37.
The 26-year-old also has a handy record in the shortest form of the game, taking 32 wickets at 27.90 and scoring 184 runs at 11.50.
Fellow left arm seamer Sheikh impressed in the three-day tour match against Sri Lanka in what has been his only appearance for Leicestershire in 2016.
Sheikh previously burst on to the scene with a fine performance against India in 2014 and went on to take a hat-trick against Gloucestershire later that season as he recorded career-best figures of 4-97.
The 25-year-old has taken 30 wickets in all competitions for Leicestershire, with 18 of those coming in the first-class arena.
Leicestershire CCC Chief Executive Wasim Khan MBE said: “We’d like to wish Rob and Atif all the very best for the future, they have both been model professionals and we thank them for their contributions to the club.
“It’s a difficult time of year with having to inform players about decisions but we want to give them the best chance of securing a contract with another county.”
