Nottinghamshire release Akhil Patel

Akhil Patel has been released by Nottinghamshire following confirmation that the left-handed opener will not be offered a new deal at Trent Bridge. Patel, the younger brother of England international Samit, has struggled to move out of Nottinghamshire's second XI since signing a two-year contract in 2009.

"Akhil has made some good scores in our second eleven and league cricket but he hasn't scored the volume of runs in the championship that would warrant extending his contract with us," explained Nottinghamshire Director of Cricket Mick Newell. Patel made just three Championship appearances in 2011, managing a high score of 24.

A mirror image of his brother with the bat, Patel scored plenty of runs at junior levels and, along with Derbyshire colleague Tom Poynton, was part of the ECB Under-17 squad for the midlands in July 2007. He had re-joined Nottinghamshire in 2009, having left the club's academy to join Derbyshire where he made his first-class debut in 2007.