Essex County Cricket Club are delighted to confirm that Australian bowler, Mark Steketee, has joined the Club for the first six games of the 2022 LV= Insurance County Championship campaign.
The 28-year-old plays for Queensland in Australia and is the current leading wicket-taker in the 2021/22 Sheffield Shield, with 32 victims in six matches at an impressive average of just 17.93. His best figures in an innings this season stand at 7/44, whilst his best match figures are 10/92.
His performances haven’t gone unnoticed, with the Steketee named in the Australia Test squad for the upcoming tour of Pakistan, which begins in early March.
The seamer made his first-class debut for Queensland back in February 2015, and in his career to date, he’s made 52 first-class appearances, taking 185 wickets at an average of 25.80. His efforts with the ball have helped Queensland to two Sheffield Shield titles in the last four seasons.
On his move to Chelmsford, Steketee said: “I’m really pleased to be joining up with Essex for the first half of the LV= Insurance County Championship campaign.
“I’ve always wanted to get over to England to play some County cricket. A lot of my teammates in Australia have had the opportunity to play in the County Championship and all of them only have positive things to say.
“I’ve got big shoes to fill, as I know how much Sids [Peter Siddle] enjoyed playing here and the energy he brought to the team. Hopefully I’ll be able to match that and help Essex get off to a strong start in 2022.”
Head Coach, Anthony McGrath, commented: “I’m thrilled we’ve managed to secure Mark’s services for the first half of the LV= Insurance County Championship campaign, starting with the fixture against Kent on 07 April.
“He’s someone we identified quite a while ago and his numbers for Queensland this year are phenomenal.
“We were keen to bring in another seam bowler to complement our bowling attack and I’ve got no doubt he’ll be a great addition.”
Essex Cricket Chief Executive & Interim Chair, John Stephenson, added: “I’m delighted we’ve managed to get this deal over the line and add Mark to the squad for the first half of the upcoming campaign.
“It’s important that we add quality players to our team that enable us to challenge for the top honours, and we feel Mark will give us the extra flair and depth needed to push for the Championship title.”
