Josh Cobb retires from professional cricket to take up Warwickshire academy role

Cobb, 34, played 448 professional games across a career which started at Leicestershire in 2007 and has seen him represent two other Midlands counties in Northamptonshire and Worcestershire. He was also a Bangladesh Premier League winner with Dhaka Gladiators in 2013, and has captained Welsh Fire in the Hundred.

Cobb spent two weeks working with Australia’s players as a consultant coach during their ODI series in England last September, an opportunity that was the result of his relationship with Andrew McDonald, his former Leicestershire team-mate. He is following his father Russell – who runs the UCCE set-up at Loughborough University – into coaching.

“Since making my debut 18 years ago, it’s been a thoroughly enjoyable ride with plenty of ups and downs,” Cobb said in a statement on Tuesday. “I’m immensely thankful for the people I’ve met, places travelled, and memories created over the years. Cricket has given me so much. Scoring my first hundred at Lord’s aged 18 and winning the T20 Blast Finals twice are just some of the memories I’ll cherish.”