New Zealand all-rounder Grant Elliotthas signed up to be Leicestershire Foxes' second overseas player in this year’s NatWest T20 Blast.
The right-handed batsman and right-arm medium-pacer, who has played in all four of New Zealand’s World Cup games in the current competition, is set to represent the Foxes in at least 10 of their 14 group matches.
That could increase depending on New Zealand’s selection for their tour of England in the first half of the summer. However, he is expected to be available for the start of the Blast campaign on May 15.
Elliott, who turns 36 on March 21, said: “I’m really excited to be a Fox this season and make some valuable contributions with both bat and ball. Leicestershire will have a new look for 2015 and I’m ready to play my part.”
He will line up alongside Australia seamer Clint McKay, Leicestershire’s overseas signing in all formats, for the 2011 domestic Twenty20 champions.
Elliott’s only previous county experience was with Surrey in all formats during 2009.
Born and raised in South Africa, where he left in 2001, Elliott has strong T20 pedigree having amassed 1,102 career runs at a strike-rate of 136.09. He has also picked up 39 wickets at 26.46 and is a safe pair of hands in the field.
Sixty-two of his 70 international caps have come in one-day internationals. In that format he has scored seven fifties and two centuries, including an unbeaten 104 against Sri Lanka earlier this year.
Leicestershire and Rutland Cricket chief executive Wasim Khan said: “We are delighted to have somebody of Grant’s calibre with us for our NatWest T20 Blast campaign. His experience will be invaluable to us in the new era for Leicestershire County Cricket Club.
“Grant is a fine middle-order batsman and also offers us good options with the ball and in the field. We have two high-quality overseas players in Grant and Clint McKay and it will be great to see them in action together.”