Nottinghamshire batsman Greg Smith retires from cricket

Nottinghamshire batsman Greg Smith has retired from cricket at the age of 28 to pursue a career outside the sport.

The news comes one day after his team-mate and former England batsman Michael Lumb retired because of an ankle injury.

Smith will leave immediately after playing in only four senior matches during the 2017 season.

"I'd like to thank everyone associated with Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club for making it such an enjoyable few years," said Smith.

"It feels like the right time for me to move on from cricket. I'll leave the game having met some incredible people and with some amazing memories."

"I'm sure, with the quality within the current squad, Nottinghamshire will continue to enjoy plenty of success in the years to come."

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The former England U19s player signed for the county from Leicestershire for the start of the 2015 season.

It was the same move made by players such as Stuart Broad and James Taylor.

Smith and Josh Cobb hold the record for the highest opening partnership in a limited overs match for Leicestershire, with a stand of 235 against Somerset in May 2013.

Another of his highlights include a score of 124 for the Notts Outlaws in the Royal London One-Day Cup semi-final against Surrey.

The batsman scored almost 5,000 first-class runs and over 2,000 in one-day matches.

Nottinghamshire Director of Cricket Mick Newell said: "It's sad to see Greg leave the club, but he's found it a struggle to get into the first team this season and we respect that he now considers he is ready to begin a new chapter in his life."