10:41am Monday 15th March 2010
By Ian Oxborrow
ZIMBABWE leg-spinner Graeme Cremer is not on Essex’s wish list.
Cremer has been linked as a possible replacement for overseas star Danish Kaneria, who is set to miss the final three months of the season.
Essex have already held talks with New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori, but his availability looks to be a problem.
And Essex coach Paul Grayson told the Echo Cremer is not another of the names Essex are looking to secure to fill the void Kaneria will leave when he goes on international duty for Pakistan.
“There is nothing in the Cremer link,” said Grayson. “I haven’t heard anything about him coming to Essex and he is not a player we are looking at.
“We face a problem in that a lot of top-class spinners are playing for Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka during the second half of the summer.
“That means if we can get a spin bowl-er it is unlikely to be an absolute world-class spinner like a Harbhajan Singh or Danish Kaneria type name, but we are doing our best to bring in the right name.”
Cremer, 23, has played six Tests and 22 One-Day internationals for Zimbabwe and has impressed in his country’s recent one-day internationals against the West Indies. He has taken 216 First-Class wickets at an average of 27 and his 1,645 First-Class runs have been scored at an average of 20.
Other spinners who may be available in the latter half of the summer include West Indian Sulieman Benn and South African Paul Harris.
Grayson told the Echo last week that he had spoken to Vettori about coming to Essex, but the Kiwi left-arm spinner’s wife is pregnant and is due to give birth in August which could scupper any deal.
Essex may not go down the route of acquiring a spin replacement anyway, according to Grayson.
He said: “We may not go for a spinner. We don’t have to rush it and it may be that we need an overseas batsman or fast bowler later in the season.
“The pitches will have dried out, though, so a spinner would be useful.”
Essex are set to reveal the identity of their new Twenty20 overseas signing.
Clearance from the player’s international board is imminent and Grayson, although staying tight-lipped on the player’s identity until all the paper work was completed, said he was a top-class international with plenty of One-Day and Twenty20 experience.
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