Lancashire's Croft retires to join coaching set-up

Steven Croft skippered Lancashire to the T20 Blast title in 2015

Lancashire all-rounder Steven Croft has retired from professional cricket and will join the club's coaching staff on a full-time basis.

The 39-year-old retired from first-class and List A cricket last year but stayed on to play in this summer's T20 Blast where Lancashire lost to Sussex in the quarter-finals.

Croft made his Lancashire debut in 2005 and went on to make 600 appearances across all formats of the game, captaining them to the T20 Blast title in 2015 as well as winning the County Championship in 2011 plus three second division titles.

"I can confidently say I have realised my dream and more, and what a ride it has been," Croft told the Lancashire website.

Croft retires as Lancashire's leading run scorer in T20 cricket with 5,486 runs and between 2006 and 2018 played a record 148 consecutive matches in the short format.

“My dream as a boy was to play one game for Lancashire, in the end it became over 600.

"My new dream is to help the next generation of players on their journeys and help them get into a Lancashire or England shirt," he added.