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Queensland eye Kemar Roach for next season's Big Bash

Queensland are keen on signing West Indies fast bowler as their overseas player for the Twenty20 Big Bash in 2010-11

Cricinfo staff
27-Dec-2009
"The more that young man bowls, the more attractive he will be to six states, not just one", says the Queensland CEO  •  Getty Images

"The more that young man bowls, the more attractive he will be to six states, not just one", says the Queensland CEO  •  Getty Images

Queensland are keen on signing West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach as their overseas player for the Twenty20 Big Bash in 2010-11. The Australians were impressed with his pace during West Indies' recent Test tour of the country and the state side wanted to sign him up for the upcoming Twenty20 season but the West Indies Cricket Board declined to release him due to concerns over his workload.
Queensland chief executive Graham Dixon has confirmed that they were in negotiations with Roach's manager over the last three weeks. They recently signed New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori for a short Twenty20 stint.
''We've been talking to Roach for some time now,'' Dixon told the Courier Mail. ''The definite feedback we've got from his manager, as recently as (Wednesday), is that Roach wants to play for us. Our talks heated up in Adelaide [during the second Test] and we had to wait for the Test to finish in Perth.
''By then Kemar had some wear and tear and the WICB had some concerns about his body and we understand that. As a young guy, they want him for 10 years. Unfortunately, with the niggling injuries he's had, we couldn't get the clearance from the West Indies for him to come for even part of the [Big Bash] tournament, so we went back to Daniel Vettori. This time it hasn't worked out, but we'll see how we are placed next summer.''
Dixon said he had acted on the recommendations by Andrew Symonds and Matthew Hayden, both Bulls players, who were impressed by Roach's tearaway pace. Since making his international debut for West Indies during the home series against Bangladesh this year, he has taken 20 wickets in five Tests and 16 wickets in seven ODIs. He bowled a spectacular yorker to get rid of Shane Watson, first ball, during the Champions Trophy in South Africa.
Roach also bruised Ricky Ponting's left elbow with a brutal delivery and sent the Australian captain to hospital during the third Test in Perth.
''Kemar would be a great drawcard,'' Dixon said. ''His X-factor is his pace and he would be great in Twenty20. We've taken some advice from Andrew Symonds and Matt Hayden and they think Roach would be a great fit for our side.
''The fast bowling aspect of Kemar really appeals to the coach, the players and the selectors. It's rare to find a guy who can bowl 150 kmh. He would certainly give us an edge. The more that young man bowls, the more attractive he will be to six states, not just one.''
Four West Indies players have been signed up for the forthcoming Big Bash, including Chris Gayle (Western Australia), Dwayne Bravo (Victoria), Kieron Pollard (South Australia) and Dwayne Smith (New South Wales).