Banks at County Ground this week - photo courtesy summersetcountycc

February 21, 2008: "Somerset has got a fantastic history and lots of great players have played here including people like Sir Viv Richards who has been an inspiration to me in my cricket career so far."  says Omari Banks who arrived this week at Somerset County Ground. The 25-year-old Anguillian/West Indies international cricketer flew into the UK from Johannesburg on Tuesday morning, where he was in training with Jimmy Cook, a former Somerset "favourite" who is reputed to have been an exceptional opening Batsman in South Africa during the twilight days of the apartheid regime and has coached in the UK and South Africa. 

Banks has joined Somerset on a 2-year contract after impressing whilst playing for Somerset Second 11, in 2007. During 2007 he was also an important part of the Anguilla national team that won the Leeward Islands Cricket Association one-day  championship; winning man-of-the-match on two occasions. He also served a brief stint as Captain of the Leeward Islands team and put in a good performance in Anguilla's lone appearance at the 2008 Stanford 2020 tournament

Between 2002 and 2005, Banks played in 10 Test matches during which he scored 318 runs at an average of 26.50 and took 28 wickets. He has also appeared in five One Day Internationals for the West Indies.

The County Season gets going in April.