Essex retire Ryan ten Doeschate's shirt number

The veteran allrounder will hang up his spikes at the end of the season after making 554 appearances for Essex

Essex have retired shirt number 27 in honour of long-serving allrounder Ryan ten Doeschate, who is hanging up his spikes at the end of the 2021 season.

The 41-year-old has spent 19 seasons with the club, making 554 appearances in all formats and scoring 17,046 runs. He has also taken 348 wickets.

Ten Doeschate captained the club between 2016 and 2019, leading them to Division Two promotion and two County Championship titles.

It is the first time Essex have retired a shirt number.

Ryan ten Doeschate: Essex's man for all eras

Commenting on his retirement, ten Doeschate said: "From the bottom of my heart I’d like to thank everyone who has been involved with Essex during my time at the club.

"It’s been the greatest professional experience to grow in this environment, to watch the organisation and the individuals within it evolve and become something that I am extremely proud to have been a part of.

"The support that the team and myself personally have enjoyed has been phenomenal and is greatly appreciated. The staff, members, sponsors, and supporters have made Essex a fabulous place to play cricket. My professional career would not have been the same without some very special teammates, who I know will be lifelong friends."