Former Proteas all-rounder Ryan McLaren welcomed a 150th first-class appearance on Monday.

Day one of the Knights’ key 4-Day Franchise Series fixture against the Lions at the Wanderers in Johannesburg yielded the milestone for McLaren.

‘Ryan has had an amazing career,’ said Knights chief executive officer Johan van Heerden. ‘He has always been effective in the field and every time he goes on to the field, we are certain he will give it his 100%.’

Almost half of McLaren’s 150 first-class matches were played in English county cricket, for Hampshire, Kent and Lancashire. The rest were played for the Dolphins, Eagles, Free State, Knights, South Africa and South Africa A.

He boasts almost 450 wickets and over 6,000 runs in first-class games.

‘We are proud to have Ryan play his 150th match in our jersey. We wish him all the best. May he take wickets and score runs,’ added Van Heerden.

The 35-year-old McLaren played two Tests, 54 ODIs and a dozen T20Is between 2009 and 2014. His Test debut was against England at the Wanderers. The second and last came against Australia at SuperSport Park in Centurion.

He also represented the Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.