CHRIS Adams has confirmed Harbhajan Singh will not be joining the Brown Caps for their run-in in the County Championship.

The Brit Oval outfit are currently third in Division Two, but have played the most matches and only boast one win so far, against Northamptonshire.

In his two previous spells with Surrey, the India off-spinner took 57 wickets at 21.10 runs apiece in 10 appearances.

Speaking after the Brown Caps' draw with Essex, Surrey's cricket manager said: "Harbhajan Singh won't be coming. That's confirmed. So, as always, we're on the look out for who we can bring in. Nothing's definite, but we've got irons in the fire as they say and it's a case of watch this space."

Adams said it was becoming harder to find good quality overseas signings who were prepared to come to England for a few months.

"It may be that ultimately we'll either go for someone who is really good or we'll go for someone who is, perhaps, a bit untried and untested, who might just be fantastic.

"I said to the lads just now that if we're going to be successful in the Championship moving forward, until we get an X-factor bowler, a mystery spinner or something, who we know will get five-fors regularly, then we're going to have to recognise that there will be times when we really have to up the ante."

With all of the leading Test playing nations, except India, in action a some stage between now and the end of September, and with Surrey's specialist spinners averaging a combined 42.48 runs per wicket, Adams would appear to be hinting that he is now looking at the likes of India's 22-year-old slow-left armer Pragyan Ojhae.

Adams also praised Stuart Walters for his batting during the Championship clash with the Eagles.

He said: "That first hundred is always very crucial. He'd only had four innings in the Championship before this one, so he hasn't had a great amount of opportunity to show what he can do.

"But you could already sense that people were loading pressure on to him. I just thought let's give the lad a chance. It's always easy to say this after the event, but I always felt that the captaincy might be the catalyst that brings out the best in him."