LONDON, Apr 5, CMC – Outstanding West Indies seamer Kemar Roach is expected to feature in Surrey’s opening match of the new English County Championship on Thursday, after returning to the London club for a second stint.
The 33-year-old is set to line up alongside Ollie Pope and Ben Foakes, both of whom he found himself pitted against in the three-Test series against England which wrapped up in the Caribbean last month.
While Foakes played all three Tests in St John’s, Bridgetown and St George’s, Pope travelled with the squad but failed to get a game.
South African Hashim Amla, who quit international cricket three years ago, will also feature for Surrey in the opening game which sees them travel to Birmingham to take on Warwickshire.
Roach, however, is only expected to be available for Surrey until May 8 with West Indies set for a busy summer of One-Day Internationals and Tests, both formats in which the Barbadian is currently involved.
He also expected to line up against Hampshire, Somerset, Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire.
Last season, Roach enjoyed a superb stint with Surrey, snatching 22 wickets from five matches at 20 runs apiece, with a career best of eight for 40 against Hampshire headlining his efforts.
The leader of West Indies’ Test attack has seen his star continue to rise even at the back end of his career, last month going past the legendary Sir Garry Sobers to assume seventh spot on the all-time list of West Indies wicket-takers with 242 wickets.
He finished the three-match series against England with 11 scalps.
Roach is only eight adrift of overtaking Michael Holding who lies sixth on the list.