Tremlett seals Surrey switch

Chris Tremlett, who has played 13 times for England, has agreed a three-year deal with Surrey after leaving Hampshire

Surrey have signed England fast bowler Chris Tremlett on a three-year deal after he was released by Hampshire.

The 28-year-old, who has taken 289 first-class wickets at an average of under 29, arrives from the Rose Bowl having played in three Tests, nine one-dayers and one Twenty20 international.

The 6ft 7in seamer made his Hampshire debut in 2001, and was a key member of the side that won the 2005 Friends Provident Trophy and came second in the Frizzell County Championship under Shane Warne.

But after a string of injury problems, Tremlett found first-team opportunities hard to come by on the south coast last season - despite featuring in last year’s Friends Provident Trophy win at Lord’s.

Surrey professional cricket manager Chris Adams said: “In Chris Tremlett, Surrey have signed a bowler of Test match ability who is just beginning to approach the prime of his career.

"His height, action and pace make him very well suited to bowling at the Brit Oval and I am looking forward to him developing partnerships with our existing pace attack.”

Surrey, who were relegated two years ago and did not look like making a return last season as they struggled to seventh place in Division Two, have already added spinner Gareth Batty, wicketkeeper Steven Davies and India Test spinner Piyush Chawla to their squad this winter.

And they will also have a new captain in 2010, after Rory Hamilton-Brown returned from Sussex to fill the role.

Tremlett, whose father Tim is director of cricket at Hampshire, himself added: "Coming to Surrey will open an exciting chapter in my career and I am very much looking forward to getting the opportunity to work alongside my new team-mates to help return this great club back to the top of English cricket.

Though he played in the Friends Provident Trophy final, Tremlett was largely peripheral to Hampshire in the second half of 2009

"I would also like to place on the record my sincere thanks to Hampshire. I leave the club with many fond memories of both the players and coaches who have helped me hugely over the past nine years."

Tremlett’s chances of securing a first XI spot at Hampshire were dealt a blow with the club’s recent capture of Kabir Ali and Simon Jones from Worcestershire to bolster their seam options.

Hampshire chairman Rod Bransgrove revealed he expects Tremlett to soon be competing for an England place once again. He last played for England in the 2008 NatWest Series against New Zealand.

Bransgrove said: “Chris Tremlett has been a great servant to Hampshire cricket and many of our fans and members will have enjoyed seeing him grow, quite literally, through the ranks of the junior age range squads and on to our first team.

“However, Chris and the club have agreed that a new environment will help to challenge and revitalise his career at both domestic and international level and he has therefore been released from his contract with immediate effect.

“Whilst it is very sad to see Chris go, I sincerely hope that this move will allow him to regain the cutting edge we all know he possesses and give him the best chance of re-capturing a place in the England team.”