Somerset bank on Omari

Omari Banks is set to ply his trade for Somerset next season

Somerset have signed West Indies Test player Omari Banks, who holds a British passport because he hails from the British protectorate Anguilla, on a two-year contract - following a successful trial at the county during 2007.

He spent a week at Somerset after being recommended by Jack Birkenshaw, the former cricket manager at the county who had coached Banks in 2001.

During a 2nd XI championship match against Hampshire he hit 116, 69 and took 5-94.

The 25-year-old off-spinner and middle order batsman has played in 10 Test matches and five one-day internationals between 2003 and 2005 during which he scored 318 runs at an average of 26.50 with 28 wickets at a cost of 48.82 each.

Somerset director of cricket Brian Rose told Somerset CCC: "Omari is a great signing and will give us strength in depth in key positions in our squad, which is what we are going to need when we compete in the top divisions next season.

"Omari will also be a huge asset to us and will be very dangerous in one-day cricket and the Twenty20 Cup."

In first-class cricket, Banks has played 56 games for the Leeward Islands and scored 1754 runs at an average of 37.15 with 159 wickets at 37.15.

Meanwhile in the one-day format he has scored 833 runs at 29.75 and taken 56 wickets at 26.01.

In 2001 he spent two months with Leicestershire during which he faced the Pakistan touring side.

He is not regarded as a Kolpak player because of his British passport.

The all-rounder will be classed as a non-overseas player and must not play any international or first-class cricket in the West Indies for one year before his Somerset debut.

Banks' last game for the Leewards was in February and he will not play any more cricket for them.