Matthew Hoggard

Squad Number - 77

Player Sponsor - Neil Davidson

Born - Leeds, Yorkshire, December 31, 1976

Joined - Leicestershire 2010 as Club Captain

Role - Right arm fast-medium opening bowler, right handed batsman

Family - Wife Sarah, Son Ernie

Teams Represented - Yorkshire, England, Free State, Leicestershire

Honours - England Ashes winner in 2005, One of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year 2006, Test match hat-trick v West Indies, various man of the match awards, man of the series v Bangladesh 2004. Sixth in the list of all-time England wicket-takers in tests (248).

Highlights of Career - Winning the Ashes in 2005. All of the above honours.

Players Admired - Allan Donald, Courtney Walsh

Relaxations - Dog walking

Former England paceman Matthew Hoggard has joined Leicestershire as Club Captain ready for the 2010 season.

Hoggard holds the impressive acclaim of being the sixth highest-wicket taker in England's test match history. He claimed 248 wickets during his 67 matches and brings a wealth of experience and quality to Grace Road.

Hoggard shapes the ball away from the right handers and has had a lot of success both domestically and internationally as a spearhead. The bowler also appeared in 26 ODIs for his country, taking 32 wickets in the process at an average of 36 and a best of 5-49.

He was a key member of the England side that won the epic Ashes series of 2005 and was a model of consistency throughout his test and ODI career.

However, it will be the role as opening bowler as part of the five-man attack that performed so brilliantly against Australia that he will be most remembered for.

Hoggard was chosen to lead England’s attack in India in 2001-02 despite having played only two test matches at that point and carried out the task with excellence.

It was part of an excellent winter for the swing bowler, who went on to take 7-63 against New Zealand during a vintage performance in Christchurch.

In 2004, his stock rose even further as he bowled beautifully throughout England’s unbeaten year.

He took a hat-trick against West Indies in Barbados and then claimed a marvellous twelve-wicket haul – his best return in an England shirt – to lead the country to a famous series win against South Africa in Johannesburg.

That match return included a seven-wicket haul for 61 runs in the second innings and his bowling in the game went a long way to winning the game and series by giving England a crucial 2-1 lead with a test to play. England then secured a draw in the final test to ensure they went home triumphant.

Both Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan considered him to be a crucial part of the team – and was always the bowler turned to when they needed reliability and consistency.

In total, he claimed three seven-wicket hauls in his test career, and also took a six-for and three further five-wicket hauls. He took ten wickets in a game once - in that aforementioned all-important test match against South Africa.

Hoggard’s England test career ended somewhat prematurely and surprisingly in March 2008, but he has performed exceptionally well for Yorkshire since. He was the club’s leading wicket-taker last season with 43 wickets at 34.11 but, again, was surprisingly not offered a new deal.

A popular, reliable and high-quality seamer, Yorkshire's and England’s loss will certainly be Leicestershire’s gain and everyone at Grace Road is delighted to have him around.

With more than 650 first-class wickets under his belt at a brilliant average of 27.37, Hoggard will be an asset on the field as an opening bowler and off it as a mentor to our younger professionals. We look forward to seeing him in action.