Surrey have signed Australia pacer Sean Abbott for a fourth stint in English domestic cricket during the 2026 domestic season.
Abbott last played for the club in 2024, and also represented them in 2021 and 2023. He will be available from Surrey's opening Championship match at Edgbaston in two weeks time, and will also be available during the T20 Blast. His stint will finish with the conclusion of the Blast in July.
The 33-year-old was named in Australia's squad for the first Ashes Test match last year, but was withdrawn before the match started with a hamstring strain. Abbott has yet to make his Test debut for Australia, but has played 58 white-ball international matches. His attributes with the bat are also notable, and when he represented Surrey in the T20 Blast in 2023 he hit a record-equalling 34-ball century against Kent at The Oval.
“The opportunity to rejoin Surrey for the 2026 season was a no brainer for me. The club has become a real home away from home,” Abbot said on re-signing for Surrey.
Abbott will replace outgoing overseas seamer Kemar Roach, who signed for Durham for the 2026 season after five years at Surrey.
Surrey sign Australia pacer despite Cricket Australia concerns
The announcement of Abbott's signing comes weeks after Michael Neser was pulled out of his deal to play for Hampshire this summer weeks before the start of the season. Neser was due to play the first six rounds of the County Championship for Hampshire, but Cricket Australia put a stop to the deal to manage his workload.
However, Abbott does not currently have a contract with Cricket Australia, with the list for 2026/27 due to be announced in the coming weeks. That means there is less of a risk the board will intervene in Abbott's overseas commitments.
Abbott is still an outside bet for a place in Australia's 2027 Ashes squad, however. After the winter's Ashes series, Ben Stokes voiced his opposition to Australia players being given opportunities to play county cricket in the lead up to Ashes series. “It is odd when you see touring players given opportunities to play county cricket before a big series," Stokes said. "I’ve never understood it. You never see it anywhere else in the world. I don’t think Australia would sign a visa for one of our lads playing Sheffield Shield games before an Ashes.”
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