Kasun Rajitha joins Essex on five-match deal

Sri Lanka seamer Kasun Rajitha has joined Essex on a five-match deal for the Rothesay County Championship.

The right-armer has 18 Test caps, with 55 wickets at 29.58, and returned a career-best 5 for 56 in the last of those appearances, in March 2024 against Bangladesh. A tall quick, measuring in at close to 6ft 4in, Rajitha is set to feature in the squad for Essex's third County Championship match against Worcestershire which begins on Friday at Chelmsford.

The move will see Rajitha reunited with Chris Silverwood, who had a spell as Sri Lanka head coach from 2022 to 2024. Now director of cricket at Essex, Silverwood regards the 31-year-old's skill and experience as a vital addition to an already strong pace attack. His arrival will help compensate for the loss of Shardul Thakur, after the India international won a late call-up to the IPL.

"We are delighted to welcome Kasun to Essex and very much look forward to watching him perform in the County Championship," said Silverwood. "I know his experience and skill set will certainly help strengthen our already superb bowling attack."

In a statement released by Essex, Rajitha added: "It is a really proud moment for me to be joining Essex. I have followed the team over the years, and they have always produced excellent and entertaining first-class cricket.

"I am joining a strong bowling unit and look forward to contributing on the field and helping the team win matches. I would like to thank Chris Silverwood for giving me this opportunity and Sri Lanka Cricket for allowing me to further hone my skills."

The acquisition of Rajitha could mean rotation is on the cards for Essex's three-pronged seam attack, with Sam Cook the likeliest to sit out the next round ahead of a possible appearance in England's first Test of the summer against Zimbabwe, which begins on May 22 at Trent Bridge. Cook, uncapped, has already bowled 75 overs across four innings so far, with seven dismissals at 28.42.