PROLIFIC Indian off-spinner Bappa Mukherjee has said his farewells to Widnes Cricket Club after a World Cup call-up - as a broadcaster.
Leading wicket taker for the last two years, Mukherjee has landed a role as a radio commentator for the competition.
Broadcasting commitments will then take him to Sri Lanka and back to England for this summer's Indian tour.
Mukherjee is also in line to become a Bengal state selector.
He was with Widnes for six years and Cheshire County League's ECB Premier Division Player of the Year in 2005.
Last season, he played a key role as Widnes' 'go-to' bowler, topping the first-team averages.
His 57 wickets - more than any other Premier Division bowler - cost 17.26 each and helped the team finish third.
Faced with replacing the irreplaceable, Widnes will be looking for others from within the squad to fill the gap in the renamed The Right Move Abroad Cheshire County League.
Chairman Robin Faulkner said: 'There has been a debate within the club as to whether we should act and go to seek somebody.
'But people as good as Bappa don't come along too easily.' One newcomer is Australian all-rounder Neil Bafuss, leading all-rounder in the Melbourne league in which his new captain Ian Spencer has been wintering.
Bafuss replaces fellow Aussie, Cameron Park as overseas player.
Lancashire U19s ace Sean Moore is to stay with Widnes, despite being at university in Wales.
