West Indies veteran pacer Kemar Roach will join Durham for the first half of the 2026 County Championship, ending his five-year association with Surrey.
Roach will be available to play red-ball games for Durham until mid-June. Durham were relegated to Division Two at the end of last season, having been promoted in 2023. The 37-year-old will add experience to an attack often shorn of several premier fast bowlers for parts of the summer due to England duty, with Matthew Potts, Brydon Carse and Mark Wood all under central contracts.
The move to Durham marks the end of a five-year stint for Roach as a Surrey player. He won the County Championship three times with Surrey and took 97 wickets in 30 matches over the last five seasons. However, he only played two Championship matches for Surrey last season, amid a summer where he briefly lost his place in the West Indies' Test squad.
Roach, who has taken 294 Test wickets for West Indies since making his debut in 2009, returned to the format spectacularly at the end of last year. He combined for a marathon seventh-wicket partnership with Justin Greaves against New Zealand in a record-breaking day five blockathon, hitting an unbeaten 58 off 233 balls. Roach has also reportedly taken on a coaching role with West Indies, which runs alongside his playing commitments.
👋 Joining us for the first half of the @CountyChamp.
— Durham Cricket (@DurhamCricket) February 23, 2026
Welcome to Durham, Kemar Roach. 🇧🇧#ForTheNorth
On joining Durham, Roach said: “I hope to help Durham push for a trophy this summer and I think the group Durham have is very close to doing that. I am looking forward to helping the team and add my experience to helping Durham push for wins.
“The County Championship for me is as close as playing Test cricket which is why I love it so much.
“We know how much of a tough season it is with the county grind, but the rewards are there when you win, and I hope to add that winning mentality to the Durham side."
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