Sinclair set to quit New Zealand

Mathew Sinclair is in talks with South African first-class side Eastern Province, in a move that could spell the end of his New Zealand playing career.

Sinclair won the first-class batting award last night, named the Redpath Cup, ahead of the fancied Nathan Astle and Peter Fulton. Sinclair scored 895 first-class runs at an average of 49.72 this season, and now has an overall first-class career average of 47.43 with 21 hundreds and 45 fifties from 121 games.

Sinclair is currently without a NZC contract, in missing out last year to James Marshall and Craig Cumming, and currently relies on his domestic first-class salary, which stands at $30,000.

With a lucrative offer on the table from Eastern Province, Sinclair has said that if he misses out on an NZC contract this year, he will look to make the move to South Africa, to secure his financial future.