Essex Country county cricket club on Saturday released a statement announcing the signing of Indian Test opener Murali Vijay until the end of the ongoing 2018 County Championship season. (File Photo)
Indian Test opener Murali Vijay will play county cricket for Essex after the championship side signed him for the remainder of the 2018-19 season. He will replace Australian bowler Peter Siddle as their overseas player for the final three County Championship games of the season.
Essex Country county cricket club on Saturday released a statement announcing the signing of Indian Test opener Murali Vijay until the end of the ongoing 2018 County Championship season. The club in its statement stated that the Indian batsmen will join the club immediately, following Peter Siddle’s return to Australia.
Murali Vijay has appeared in 57 Test matches for India. He has also represented Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils, and King XI Punjab in high profile Indian Premier League. He recently played against Essex in India’s 4-day practice match, and also notched a half-century in the first innings of the game.
— Essex Cricket (@EssexCricket) 8 September 2018
Commenting on his new role, Vijay while speaking to the official website of the club said, “I was here with the India side about a month ago and saw first-hand just how good the crowd is.I can’t wait to play for Essex and hopefully win some matches.”
Essex head coach Anthony McGrath who was overwhelmed with Vijay’s inclusion in the club said, “We’re delighted that Murali has chosen to come here, he’s a great batsman who can score runs at the top of the order. Vijay’s run-scoring ability means he can be the difference-maker in a game, and that skill is something we were looking to bring in towards the end of the season and something that we’re excited about. The campaign is coming to an end and we have some really big games over the next month, so getting someone in with the experience and international quality that Murali possesses could make all the difference for us.”