Former Proteas fast bowler Kyle Abbott welcomed an ‘incredible’ 17 wickets in Hampshire’s County Championship Division One victory over Somerset at the Rose Bowl in Southampton on Wednesday.

Abbott followed a first-innings haul of 9-40 with 8-46 in the second for a match tally of 17-86. The figures marked Hampshire’s best in first-class cricket – and the most prolific overall since England’s Jim Laker took 19-90 against Australia in 1956.

‘It hasn’t quite sunk in. It is pretty incredible. I didn’t think I’d take nine and I didn’t think I’d take eight. I reckon that is the best I can bowl,’ said Abbott.

‘Everything I wanted to do worked. It just happened to be one of those days – it was incredible. When it started to reverse it got quite fun. We knew we had to get into their middle order and put pressure on them as 280 was a long way off.’

The 32-year-old Abbott played 11 Tests, 28 ODIs and 21 T20Is between 2013 and 2017 before pursuing a career in the United Kingdom.

‘I made a lot of friends here during my last spell and it just felt like the right place for me. I’ve been comfortable for a long time, to be honest. I’ve always felt like Hampshire was a home for me. It was a pretty easy transition across here,’ he said at the time.

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