James Foster bids adieu to Essex

Essex wicketkeeper James Foster has bid farewell to the county cricket club as he announced his retirement from the domestic cricket by the end of the ongoing season.

Making the announcement in an open letter, the 38-year-old said that it has been a great journey with Essex and tha he is extremely proud to have represented the English side.

"I have really enjoyed my 19 years as a professional cricketer and it is with great sadness that I will no longer be an Essex player. It has been a real privilege to play for my home county and I am extremely proud to have represented England," Foster said.

Reflecting on his future plans, the right-hand batsman expressed the desire to take up the coaching job and claimed that he is building his CV for the same.

"Whilst playing has now come to an end, I am incredibly excited about the next phase of my career. I have been working extremely hard on building my coaching CV and experience over the last three years for various professional, franchise and international teams," he said.

"I am delighted to be working with Sydney Thunder underneath Shane Bond in the upcoming BBL and again with the Mahela Jayawardene at the Khulna Titans in the BPL this winter. Before that, I am very excited to be coaching the Afghanistan Boost Defenders during the ADT20 in Abu Dhabi and I will also continue to coach the talented youngsters at Forest School," he added.

Foster, who made his international debut in 2000-01 series against Zimbabwe, played a total of 7 Tests, 11 ODIs and 5 T20 Internationals for England.

In first-class cricket, he holds a better record with 23 centuries to his name including a career-best knock of 212 runs against Leicestershire in 2004.