Warwickshire bowler Paul Best has announced his retirement with immediate effect.

The 24-year-old has suffered a host of injuries over the last two years, which have limited his number of appearances.

He recently travelled as a member of the club's pre-season tour to the Caribbean, where he decided that the fitness problems had finally "taken their toll".

"This has been not been an easy decision to make. The stress fractures I have had to endure the last two seasons have taken their toll on my body and I do not believe I can perform to the level I have in the past," he told the club's official website.

"It is for this reason that I have decided to retire from professional cricket in order to pursue another career path."

Meanwhile, director of cricket Dougie Brown added: "Paul is a talented individual and I am sure he will be successful in whatever future venture he undertakes. We wish him all the very best and will miss his contribution to the dressing room."

According to ESPNCricinfo, Best graduated from Homerton college, Cambridge, with a degree in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic.