Former South African Seamer Vernon Philander Comes Out Of Retirement For His Domestic Team

Former South African seamer Vernon Philander has come out of retirement for his hometown club Western Province as he believes that he has 2-3 years left in him.

Philander, who called time on his International career in early 2020 following the home Test series against England, is the fastest to take 50 and 100 Tests wickets in South African history.

Having played a total of 64 Tests, the ‘Big Vern’ finished with 224 wickets at an average of 22.32.

While one of the reasons behind Vernon Philander coming out of retirement is that he still believes, he can propel the Western Provinces to title glory, his main aim is to guide upcoming South African pacers across all domestic teams.

Speaking to ‘The Citizen’, Philander reckoned that he is looking at the bigger picture, which is to make South African cricket a force that it once was, and given the lack of experience that there is currently, he wants youngsters to tap into his knowledge in order to be better prepared for the grind of international cricket.

“Western Province will have a young squad and there is a big need for me to play a part there, considering I still probably have two or three years left in me and I still have the firepower to perform and do well,” Vernon Philander said in an interview with the Citizen.

Philander recalled how he and his fellow cricketers benefitted by learning from senior cricketers at the start of his career and the former Proteas pacer wants to do the same for the current and future generation.

“There is also not much experience around the country and I”m looking at the greater picture. We were fortunate to learn from older guys when we started out whether they were in our squad or not. So, there”s a massive role to play in helping the future generations with those extra learnings; they can tap into our knowledge and hopefully stay calmer for longer,” said Vernon Philander.

“Hopefully I can help make sure they mature in the proper manner. Obviously ,I am still playing for trophies, but I want to encourage bowlers from other teams to speak to me so I can help South African cricket grow. My goal is ultimately to help the standard of cricket in this country by setting a good example. You want an atmosphere of enjoying what you do, but you also have a responsibility to perform.” he added.

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