Cape Town-born off-spinner Dane Piedt has decided to end his playing time in South Africa, opting to move to USA, where he will resume his career with the Minor League T20 Tournament.
Piedt, 30, featured in nine Tests for South Africa between 2014 and 2019, collecting 26 wickets, and has the rare distinction of becoming only the second bowler from his country to pick up a wicket off his very first Test delivery.
His last Test came on Indian soil in October 2019, where he managed a solitary wicket in Ranchi, one of only two wickets taken by him on South Africa’s two-Test tour last year.
To new beginnings 🇺🇸… 🥂 pic.twitter.com/XFZIOxC7z0
— Dane Piedt (@dane_piedt63) March 27, 2020
Piedt, who has 115 first-class and 77 List A appearances, did not represent South Africa in white-ball cricket, but wishes to play a major ICC tournament for USA. “The USA were given ODI status last year so it’s not completely out of the question,” Piedt was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
For the moment, however, Piedt will have to stay put in South Africa, given the complete lockdown in the country amid the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
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“I just signed the deal this morning but no-one really knows when I will be able to travel. It was an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up, financially and for lifestyle reasons, but it was still a tough decision to make.”
That Piedt is a huge basketball fan also played a role in the off-spinner’s move to US; he has a choice to settle in any of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles or Seattle.
