Warwickshire wicketkeeper Burgess retires

Michael Burgess made a career-best 178 against Surrey in 2022

Warwickshire wicketkeeper Michael Burgess has announced his retirement to pursue a career outside of the game.

The 30-year-old played 130 games across all formats for the Bears, scoring 3,000 runs in 65 first-class appearances.

He previously had spells for Leicestershire and Sussex, leaving the latter midway through the 2019 season to move to Edgbaston where he become part of the County Championship-winning side in 2021.

"I know it will come as a surprise to many people around the club. But I’ve decided the time is right to step away from the game and pursue other opportunities," Burgess told the Warwickshire website.

"Winning the Championship in 2021 will always be an incredibly special part of my career and something I’ll forever be proud of."

Burgess made 745 runs, including two centuries, in this summer's County Championship as Warwickshire finished seventh in Division One.

"We’ve spoken to Michael regularly since he first raised this with us. We wanted to make sure it was the right decision for him and if there was anything we could do to as a club. But in the end, we’ve mutually agreed to release him from the final year of his contract," said performance director Gavin Larsen.

"What I loved about Michael was his combativeness and toughness with the bat when presented with challenging situations. I’ve lost count of the number of times he has rescued a Championship innings, batting superbly with the tail."

"He’s a gifted wicket-keeper who always showed the ability to deliver classy performance behind the stumps. There’s no doubt we’ll miss his all-round skills."

Meanwhile, former Warwickshire fast bowler Liam Norwell has been forced to retire at the age of 32 for medical reasons.

He took a heroic career-best 9-62 against Hampshire on the final day of the 2022 County Championship to enable the Bears to retain their top-flight status.

But that proved to be his final first-class game and although he made three second XI appearances this summer, he was released by the club at the end of the season.