Kemar Roach will return to Surrey for the first five matches of the LV= Insurance County Championship season, joining Hashim Amla in the Club’s overseas ranks.
Roach impressed in his first spell with the Club in April & May 2021, taking 22 wickets in five matches before returning to international action with West Indies. His 2021 spell with the Club included career-best innings figures of 8/40 as part of a ten-wicket haul against Hampshire and a further nine-wicket match during the visit of Middlesex.
The 33-year-old seamer will now travel back to The Kia Oval for the start of the 2022 season and remain until the end of the meeting with Northamptonshire, which begins at The Kia Oval on Thursday 5th May. During his stint he will also be available to face Hampshire and Somerset at The Kia Oval and for away matches at Warwickshire and Gloucestershire.
Following his final match for the Club, Roach will travel home to play first-class cricket in the West Indies and prepare for upcoming international commitments.
Roach has played 68 Test matches for West Indies, taking 231 wickets at the highest level of the game. In total, he has 432 first-class wickets to his name since making his debut in the format in 2008.
On his return to The Kia Oval, Roach said: “After my thoroughly enjoyable time at the Kia Oval last season I am thrilled to be heading back for another stint with Surrey CCC. I finished last season well with ball in hand and hope to pick up where I left off. I would like to thank both Surrey and CWI for this opportunity and I can’t wait to get back to the UK.”
Director of Cricket Alec Stewart said: “We’re very pleased Kemar will return to Surrey for the first five matches of the season. He had a real impact on the squad in the first part of 2021, not just as a bowler but as an experienced international player in the dressing room too. He is a proven performer in all conditions and showed last year how he is perfectly suited to the early part of the English domestic season and we look forward to seeing him perform in a Surrey shirt again this year.”
Hashim Amla will be back at Surrey for a third consecutive season as the Club’s second overseas player. The legendary South African was our leading run scorer in the LV= Insurance County Championship in 2021 – making 994 runs – and is expected to be available for the entirety of our first-class season.
