Grant Stewart

A big, strong lad who hits it a mile and bowls with reasonable pace - that’s the simplest yet finest explanation of what Grant Stewart is. Apart from being a hardcore cricketer, he is a qualified Civil Engineer too, of Australian-Italian descent. Courtesy of his EU passport, Stewart is contracted by Kent CCC and plays for them as a non-overseas player. 

Stewart, initially, started as a wicket-keeper and leg-spin bowler, but later he converted to play as a fast bowler. In Australia, he represented the New South Wales Country XI till 2016, before shifting to the United Kingdom. The all-rounder migrated to play cricket in the Kent Cricket League, where he played for HSBC and Sandwich Town. By 2017, he started representing the Kent Second XI, and due to the shortage of pacers in the First XI, the county signed a professional contract with Stewart. 

The Australian-born made his first-class debut in the final game of the 2017 Championship season and made his List-A debut in West Indies’ Super50 league in 2018, before getting his hamstring injured. Stewart returned to the side in a day/night match against Middlesex, where he scalped six wickets and ended the match with 9 for 54. The following day he scored his maiden first-class century, setting a record for Kent by smacking the highest score made by a number 10 batsman. 

After a magnificent 2018 season, the all-rounder was again hit by the hamstring in 2019. However, he again made an inspirational comeback that earned him a two-year contract extension in January 2020, keeping him at the club until 2022. The following year, the Kent all-rounder announced that he would play for the Italian cricket team in the final of the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier tournament. 

At 27, Stewart has proven his worth as a utility cricketer, across the globe, his prowess is well-suited for both red and white ball games. The all-rounder knows to make the new ball talk, while he knows the art to break partnerships with the older one too. And his lower-order batting is equally brilliant as well. 

(As of June 2021)