Middlesex Cricket can today confirm that fast-bowling all-rounder, James Harris, will be leaving the Club at the end of this season, and will return to Glamorgan, where his professional career started as a sixteen-year-old.
Harris, 31, will remain at Middlesex until the end of this season, when he will leave the Club and return to Cardiff.
He made his professional debut in May 2007, and in only his second first-class game took figures of 12 for 118, becoming the youngest player ever to take a ten-wicket haul in the County Championship. Harris quickly became one of the games’ most promising talents, picking up 228 first-class wickets in just 6 seasons, before Middlesex signed him at the end of 2012, ahead of the 2013 season.
He has since gone on to make 78 first-class appearances for Middlesex, picking up 249 wickets for the Club at an average of 29.93, including memorable career best bowling figures of 9 for 34, taken against Durham at Lord’s in 2015.
He has also played an important role in Middlesex’s white-ball sides, making 25 List-A and 30 T20 appearances, picking up 61 wickets across both formats.
With the bat, a First-Class hundred still eludes him, with a highest score of 80 in his time at Middlesex, however he hit his maiden professional hundred in List-A cricket, when scoring 117 for Middlesex in the Royal London One-Day Cup quarter final clash against Lancashire in 2019 at Lord’s. In all, Harris has hit 2,467 runs for the Club in all forms of the game.
He was awarded his ceremonial county cap by the Club in the summer of 2015 and earlier this year was named as Chair of the Professional Cricketers’ Association.
Speaking of James Harris’ departure at the end of the season, Middlesex Head Coach, Stuart Law, commented:
“It’s a great opportunity for Harry to prolong both his on field and off field careers back at his home county. The offer of guaranteed cricket for the next three or more years was too good for him to turn down.
“While we are sorry to see him go, we wish him all the best in this next chapter in his life.
“James has been a huge part of the Middlesex family over the last nine years and his professionalism and leadership within the group has seen him elevated to be the Chairman of the PCA, such is his stature within the county game.
“A quality bloke, who gave nothing short of 100% in his pursuit of all things cricket. His legacy of hard work will live long after he has gone.”
Harris himself commented:
“It is with a heavy heart that I leave Middlesex, a place that I have loved playing at over the last nine seasons.
“I want to thank Angus, Stuart and everyone involved at the Club.
“Middlesex is a special place and the opportunity to play at Lord’s over the past nine years has been a dream come true.
“As a young lad growing up in South Wales it is something that I could’ve only ever imagined.
“I always saw myself one day returning to Wales and 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 wish to thank the members and fans of Middlesex, as well as all of the players, both past and present, and I wish everyone at the Club all the success in the world moving forward."
