Ravi Bopara leaves English County club Essex after 18 years to join Sussex

London: Ravi Bopara has ended his 18-year-old association with English County club Essex to join Sussex. Announcing the move in a post on Twitter, Bopara on Wednesday paid tribute to his Essex team-mates and fans, in particular, his “best friend” Ryan Ten Doeschate, the club captain alongside whom he has played his entire professional career, as well as Graham Gooch, his “greatest teacher”.

His time at Essex spanned 18 years, after making his first-class debut in 2002 at the age of 17. The 34-year-old has been widely acclaimed as one of the most reliable and consistent batsmen to have played county cricket. He has scored 11,148 first-class runs for Essex at an average of 42.06, with his highest score of 229 coming against Northamptonshire at Chelmsford in 2007. Ravi Bopara leaves Essex having played a total of 499 games across all formats. He has scored 101 half-centuries and converted 37 of them into three-figure scores during his 18 seasons with the club. IANS

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