Ashley Giles’ rebuilding of Warwickshire has continued with the announcement that batsman William Porterfield and all-rounder Ateeq Javid will both leave the club at the end of the season.
Warwickshire’s ageing squad, refreshed by Giles during his return to Edgbaston as sport director, is facing relegation from Division One of the Championship, although Birmingham – the club’s T20 alter-ego – did reach the final of the NatWest Blast on Saturday before losing to Nottinghamshire .
Ireland captain Porterfield joined the club ahead of the 2011 season, from Gloucestershire, and until this season was a regular in all formats. He plans to return to Ireland to play first-class cricket.
Javid is a product of Warwickshire’s academy and made his senior debut in 2009, making 32 first-class, 39 List A and 53 T20 appearances for the Bears without ever quite holding down a regular place. He is joining Leicestershire on a two-year contract.
Giles said: “William and Ateeq have been great servants to the club and have been instrumental in our success in recent years, being part of the teams that have won all major trophies across the three formats of the game in a five-year period.
“In addition to his contributions with the bat, William has been our vice captain in white ball cricket for the last two years. His leadership experience and support in the dressing room has been a great asset for the club and we wish him the very best in his career with Ireland.
“Ateeq grew up in Birmingham and is a Bear through and through. It’s always sad when we see homegrown players leave the club, but we recognise the opportunity for him at Leicestershire and wish him every success in the future.”
Offspinning allrounder Javid made his England Under-19s debut at 17. He scored 619 runs in Division One of the Championship in 2013 at an average of 44.00, including two centuries, and helped Birmingham to their NatWest T20 Blast title win in 2014; the dismissal of Kevin Pietersen with his first ball of the semi-final against Surrey was a key contribution.
Javid said: “The time is right to make a move, fight for a place and hopefully play regular cricket across all formats.”
Leicestershire needed a lift after the departure of coach Pierre de Bruyn after relationships broke down with several senior players. Chief Executive Wasim Khan said: “We know that Ateeq is talented in all formats of the game. He is a very versatile player who can adapt to different roles in different competitions. We have been following his progress for some time.”
Source: ESPN Crickinfo