Sarwan signs for Leicestershire
Four of Ramnaresh Sarwan's 15 Test tons have been in the fourth innings, the last helping to earn a draw with England at Antigua during February 2009
Leicestershire have revealed that experienced West Indies batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan will be their overseas player for the entire 2012 season, subject to red tape.
The classy 31-year-old right-hander, who averages over 40 in Tests and one-day internationals but has not represented his country since July, has signed a contract and is awaiting clearance from the West Indies Cricket Board and a UK work permit.
All being well, the batsman will link up with Leicestershire in Barbados during mid-March on their pre-season tour and fly to the UK shortly before the start of the domestic season.
Sarwan - whose previous county stint was for Gloucestershire in 2005 - has scored 5,842 runs in 87 Tests, 5,644 in 173 ODIs and 298 in 18 Twenty20 internationals.
Four of Sarwan’s 15 Test tons have come in the fourth innings, a record he shares with Sunil Gavaskar, Ricky Ponting, Graeme Smith and Younus Khan.
Sarwan, also a useful leg-spinner, will boost a batting line-up shorn of James Taylor, who has joined Nottinghamshire, and Martin van Jaarsveld, who reneged on a two-year deal by retiring from county cricket. Leicestershire last month missed out on signing former Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf.
Chief executive Mike Siddall said: "We are delighted to have completed the signing of Ramnaresh Sarwan.
"He has an impressive Test record and his availability to play all forms of the game for us during the 2012 season is an added bonus. We wanted to sign an experienced overseas batsman and Ronnie certainly fits the bill."
