Otago Volts pace bowler Michael Rae has made the difficult decision not to return to the Otago Volts for the upcoming domestic season and instead will stay in Christchurch where he and his wife have recently bought a house. 

Rae has decided to end his 9-year career with the Volts to be closer to family for the upcoming domestic season.  

In a statement to his Volts team-mates, Rae said “I would have loved to be a part of the team’s exciting journey going forward, but at the end of the day I’ve made the decision to put my family first.”  

Rae, or Razor as he is known by his peers, has been a fantastic hometown talent who first represented the Volts in first-class cricket during the 2014-15 season.  

He would then make his debut in the T20 Super Smash in the 2016-17 season and his List A debut the following season.  

In total, Rae has notched up 105 appearances for the Volts across all three domestic formats, becoming a key component in the Volts bowling attack.  

Rae’s tall build and fierce competitiveness proved intimidating for opponents in picking up 210 wickets for the Volts with his best figures of 7-35 against Auckland during their List A match in December 2020.  

This past season Rae was the Dream11 Super Smash Men's leading wicket-taker with 16 wickets and joint Ford Trophy wicket-taker with 18. His performances during the 2022-23 season saw him awarded him the Otago Volts Bowler of the Year trophy.  

In his time with the Volts, Rae represented the New Zealand A and New Zealand XI teams. 

CEO Mike Coggan was quick to reflect on the qualities of Rae as a person and a player.  “Since the first time I met Razor back in 2015 I was impressed and to this day I have so much admiration for him.  He is Otago through and through, is an outstanding athlete who just keeps getting better every year.  We will absolutely miss him and everything he brings to the Volts and Otago Cricket.  His decision has been about putting family needs first and I fully respect that and wish him and Annabel well in their next endeavors”.  

Michael’s relocation to Christchurch will see him available for selection for Canterbury next season. 

On behalf of Otago Cricket, we wish Michael all the very best in the next part of his cricketing career and thank him for the massive contribution that he has made in his time in the Volts.  

Ends 

Article added: Thursday 01 June 2023