Keith Barker is a left-arm bowler and left-hand batter.
He was born in Manchester, Lancashire and joined Hampshire from Warwickshire – making his debut in April 2019.
Barker, a former footballer who represented England at youth level, first made the move to play cricket in 2008, joining Warwickshire. The left-armer spent a decade with the Birmingham-based side, claiming 357 wickets at 25.51 and recording six First-Class centuries in that time.
He was a crucial component to their County Championship title triumph in 2012 – before moving to the south coast on a permanent deal at the conclusion of the 2018 season.
The seamer took 38 County Championship wickets at an excellent average of just 26.34 in his first season at Utilita Bowl, forming a deadly three-pronged seam attack alongside Kyle Abbott and Fidel Edwards in 2019.
Having played in all but one game that summer due to illness, he also contributed with the bat, adding 357 runs at an average of 25.50.
The COVID-19 pandemic, combined with a minor injury, caused Barker to feature in just two fixtures in 2020, adding seven wickets at 28.71.
Starting 2021 out injured, he made his return to the side against Somerset at Utilita Bowl, taking 4-67 from 24 overs. The all-rounder dominated with the new ball, taking 41 wickets at an average of 18.41, and took his career best figures of 7/46 against Nottinghamshire at Utilita Bowl in quite an extraordinary performance.
His efforts saw Barker named Red Ball Bowler of the Year, as well as being selected by his peers for the prestigious Players’ Player of the Year award, at the End of Season Awards.
In 2022, Barker made his first white-ball appearances for Hampshire in the Royal London Cup and combined with Abbott and Mohammad Abbas for over 150 wickets in the LV= Insurance County Championship.
Barker was responsible for 52 of those, at an average of 22.38, while also chipping in with 595 runs which earned him more honours, including his second Red Ball Bowler of the Year award – shared with Kyle Abbott – and the Fans’ Player of the Year award.
The left armer returned 20 County Championship wickets and 13 in the Metro Bank One Day Cup for Hampshire in 2023. He took three wickets in the 50-over final, though the side went on to finish as runners-up.
More:
