Mathew Pillans

Mathew Pillans is a South African-born cricketer who migrated to the United Kingdom to play for Yorkshire CCC. 

Pillans was born and educated in Pretoria and played 42 first-class games for the University of Pretoria before he moved to Kwa-Zulu Natal in 2013. 

He moved to KwaZulu Natal Inland prior to signing for the Durban-based Dolphins, making his four-day debut in March 2014. There, the speedster got famous for his tear-some pace and even broke Duanne Olivier’s toe with a yorker. However, he was not a regular member of the side, and looked for opportunities in the UK.

Pillans signed for Surrey on a three-year contract ahead of 2016, impressing with 12 T20 Blast wickets. In 2017, he was loaned to Leicestershire county, representing them in the County Championship and T20 Blast. And then returned to Yorkshire in 2018, signed a three-year deal in 2019. At Headingley, the South African has been used as a first-change seamer to pick up crucial wickets with not-so-new-ball. 

By 2021, Pillans signed for Yorkshire as a local player as a result of holding an ancestral visa, but due to changes in rules surrounding Brexit, the South African is back to be classified as an overseas player. 

At 30, the seamer finally found his place in the Yorkshire setup, where his pace was used at strength, mostly in the T20s. While Pillans is also a dogged lower-order batsman capable of a long grind out in the middle.

(As of July 2021)