Duanne Olivier has joined Durham for the remainder of the County Championship, replacing Kemar Roach whose stint with the club has ended prematurely through injury.
Olivier, the 33-year-old South African right-arm quick, had been expected to join Durham for the second half of the season but the club brought forward his arrival after Roach suffered a hamstring injury on the opening day of their match against Middlesex last Friday. Roach had originally signed with Durham for the first half of the Championship season, bringing his five-year association with Surrey to an end.
With 16 Test caps yielding 59 wickets at 24.27, Olivier’s career-best for the Proteas was his 6 for 37 against Pakistan in 2018 when he went on to claim match figures of 11 for 96 and earn Player of the Series honours.
Experienced in the County Championship, he has taken 106 first-class wickets from 32 matches in English domestic cricket having represented Derbyshire and Yorkshire between 2018 and 2021.
Closing in on 600 first-class wickets, Olivier has picked up 38 wickets in 10 matches for Eastern Province since 2024, having racked up 377 red-ball wickets in his South African domestic career.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Durham Cricket and starting this new chapter,” Olivier said. “I’ve always enjoyed playing in England, and the challenge of county cricket is something I’ve long appreciated. I’ve been following the first few weeks of the County Championship and I’m excited to join the guys, contribute, and get stuck in.”
Marcus North, Durham’s director of cricket, added: “We are extremely pleased to welcome Duanne to Durham for the remainder of the County Championship season. He knows the County Championship having represented Yorkshire and Derbyshire, and he joins us off the back of a strong domestic season in South Africa.”
Durham next play at Worcestershire from Friday.
