Former England bowler Monty Panesar has joked that his forthcoming season of village cricket could be the catalyst for a revival of his international career.
The left-arm spinner announced last year that he would be playing for East Anglian Premier League side Great Witchingham in Norfolk.
Olly Stone of Nottinghamshire CCC and Adelaide Strikers opener Jake Weatherald have also signed with the club.
Panesar has not played professionally since leaving Northamptonshire in 2016, despite taking 167 wickets in 50 Tests. He was part of the England side that won the Ashes in 2009.
Talk of Panesar returning to England may be tongue-in-cheek, but for Stone, 30, the desire to return to the national side is real.
The Norwich-born Stone has played three Tests in an injury-hit career and has not played an international match since a one-day international against South Africa in January last year, with his last Test appearance coming against New Zealand in the summer of 2021.
It will be a homecoming of sorts for Stone, whose cricketing journey began in Norfolk, to play for Great Witchingham, if only in the odd game.
The club are chasing their first East Anglian Premier League (EAPL) title.
Stone's fastest deliveries can reach 94mph (151km/h), so if you are an East Anglian Premier League batsman warming up in the away dressing room at Walcis Park, don't forget your thigh pads and elbow protectors.