England’s Jonny Bairstow will make his debut in Australia’s Big Bash League and has signed for Melbourne Stars.
The 10th edition of the Twenty20 event begins on 10 December, but the 31-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman will not be available until after Christmas.
Bairstow, who has represented England in every format of the game, has been recently playing in the Indian Premier League with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
“I’m really pleased to have signed with the Stars,” said the Yorkshireman.
“I’ve always watched the BBL no matter where I’ve been in the world and it will be nice to finally be a part of it. The Stars are one of the competition’s profile clubs and have a track record of being in contention in finals.”
Melbourne Stars head coach David Hussey said Bairstow was an important addition with the bat and gloves.
“I’m glad Jonny has decided to make his BBL debut with us. He’s been at the top level with England for almost a decade and brings a real competitive fire,” said Hussey.
“His experience and versatility will be a valuable addition to our batting line-up, and we’ve got several ‘keeping options as well.”
Teams in Australia’s Big Bash League will be able to field up to three overseas players this winter, up from two last season, and Bairstow is the seventh Englishman to sign up for the two-month competition.
The other England players are Jason Roy and Liam Livingstone (Perth Scorchers), Dawid Malan (Hobart Hurricanes), Alex Hales (Sydney Thunder), Tom Banton (Brisbane Heat) and Tom Curran (Sydney Sixers).
Article courtesy of BBC Sport
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