After a 20-year career, one of Nottinghamshire’s finest all-rounders has decided to retire from the first class game.
Paul Franks’ career included 215 first class matches and 234 one day games for his home county, as well as a solitary One-Day International appearance for England against the West Indies. The Mansfield-born bowler took 792 first team wickets.
Add to that nearly 10,000 runs across all three formats for Notts and the all-rounder leaves behind some formidable statistics:
18 – The age of Franks when he became the youngest Nottinghamshire player to take a hat-trick, the feat coming in 1997 against Warwickshire at Trent Bridge in his first full season for the club. Having already taken the wicket of future teammate Mark Wagh earlier in the day, Franks took the wickets of Trevor Penney, Dougie Brown and Graeme Welch in consecutive deliveries to reduce the visitors to 225-6.
1998/1999 – Consecutive seasons in which Franks passed 50 championship wickets. Still one of the younger members of the side, Franks took 52 first class wickets during the 1998 season at 26.24 before adding 63 in the 1999 season at 23.63.
8 – The shirt number he will be passing on to Stuart Broad following his retirement. Broad has worn the number at international level throughout his England career.
7-56 – His career-best figures against Middlesex in 2000 at Lord's which helped Notts to a 169-run victory. His seven victims were Robin Weston, Andrew Strauss, Justin Langer, Owais Shah, David Nash, Richard Johnson and Chris Batt. Usman Afzaal scored 127 and AJ Harris took 5-34 in the second innings to complete the win.
6-27 – Career-best List A figures off nine overs against Durham at Chester-le-Street in 2000, helping Nottinghamshire to a nerve racking three run Duckworth Lewis victory. John Morris had earlier scored 73 in Notts' 45-over total of 199-6.
2015 – The year in which he guided Nottinghamshire’s Seconds to Championship victory for the first time since 1985, going through the entire competition unbeaten. Franks captained throughout the season and hit the winning runs at Radlett Cricket Club to beat Middlesex in the final.
The 2015 season has seen dramatic last-gasp four day victories, thrilling limited-overs contests and an historic Investec Ashes Test, all in the unique surroundings of Trent Bridge.
Next season, we’d wager, will be no less enthralling and frankly we’d hate for you to miss out.