Laurie Evans gives up red-ball cricket, inks white-ball deal extension with Surrey

England first-class cricketer Laurie Evans has given up red-ball cricket after inking a white-ball only contract extension with county Surrey. The 34-year-old batter had re-joined Surrey for all formats in 2020 after spending three seasons at Sussex and also played five first-class games during his second stint at The Oval. He also made two appearances in the County Championship last summer.

Evans, who averages almost 30 in first-class cricket but hasn’t featured in an international fixture, had initially joined Sussex to play more first-class cricket after struggling to get regular first-time chances at Warwickshire. But his fortunes smiled after his bat spoke in the T20 format and he finished as the Blast’s leading run-scorer in 2018.

Recently, Evans, who has a strike rate of 134 plus in 199 T20 matches (4,695 runs), bagged the player of the match award in the Big Bash final Down Under to help Perth Scorchers beat Sydney Sixers.

In the red-ball format, Evans has played 73 games in which he has scored 3,495 runs at an average with six hundreds and 18 half-centuries.

‘I still have a burning ambition to play at international level’

According to a report in Cricinfo, Evans said in a statement about his decision to play only white-ball cricket, “I have made the decision to focus the remainder of my career on white-ball cricket for a number of reasons. Firstly, I still have a burning ambition to play at international level. The chances of me doing this in Test cricket are gone but I still believe that I could do a job for England in white-ball cricket and by focusing my efforts purely on this, I can best develop my skills further.

“Secondly, I believe this is the best way for me to manage myself physically over the coming years. I am loving my time at The Kia Oval and also the experiences I am getting from playing in franchise competitions around the world.

“Finally, I believe this is the best decision for Surrey County Cricket Club as it allows younger players to gain experience in red-ball cricket with me stepping aside fully. I would like to thank the club for their continued understanding and support.”

The cricketer’s contract with Surrey was due to end at the end of 2022 but it has now been extended for at least one more year and the option of a further season is on.