James Harris to re-join Glamorgan: "I always saw myself one day returning"

The Welshman, who is also doubling up as chair of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, will remain at Lord’s until the end of the season

James Harris will return to Glamorgan at the end of the season, nine years after leaving his home county to join Middlesex.

The Welshman, who is also doubling up as chair of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, will remain at Lord’s until the end of the season before re-joining the county for whom he made his first-class debut as a 16-year-old on a three-year deal.

The 31-year-old came through Glamorgan’s youth system and became the youngest-ever player to take 10 wickets in a County Championship game for the club, doing so before his 17th birthday.

After moving to Middlesex at a time when most of the domestic game had shown an interest in signing the highly-rated seamer, he was part of the squad that won the four-day title in 2016, while he also returned on loan to Glamorgan in 2014 and earlier this season as well.

Speaking to The Cricketer ahead of this season, he admitted that the middle phase of his playing career had not always gone according to plan. “A lot of ups early on, then went to Middlesex, had some injuries, had some down-times in between some very good seasons,” he said.

“There have been some really tough elements over the last few years, really searching for form, trying to get my game in a place where I was happy with it.”

To date, he has taken 508 first-class wickets in 153 matches at 28.71 apiece, scoring almost 4,000 runs in the process.

^{James Harris began his career at Glamorgan}

On returning to Glamorgan – a move that has been much-mooted in recent weeks and months – Harris said: “I'm absolutely thrilled to re-join Glamorgan and return to Wales. I'd like to thank the Middlesex players and staff, as well as the great fans at Lord's for all their kindness and support over the last nine years, but when the opportunity came to move back home it’s one I couldn’t turn down.

“I always saw myself one day returning to Glamorgan, and this this is the perfect time for me to do so, and I am excited for the next chapter in my cricket career. I still believe I have a lot to offer on the pitch and I want to use my experience to assist the younger players and help us push for silverware.”

Mark Wallace, Glamorgan’s director of cricket and a former teammate of Harris, added: “From the moment James left, we've wanted to re-sign him. He’s a fantastic acquisition for the club. He’s a high-class seam bowler, a strong lower-order batsmen and a great voice in the dressing room given his leadership experience.

“From bursting onto the scene as a 16-year-old, James has been a fan favourite at Glamorgan and bringing him home will put a smile on a lot of faces.”