Kent signs Kane Richardson for upcoming T20 Blast competition

KENT: Kent Cricket has signed Australian medium-pacer Kane Richardson for the upcoming T20 Blast competition, including any potential knockout features.

"Kent Cricket is delighted to announce the signing of Australia international bowler Kane Richardson for the entirety of the 2023 T20 Blast competition, including any potential knockout fixtures," said the county in a statement on Monday.

The right-arm medium-fast bowler is regarded as a white-ball specialist bowler, often tasked with what are regarded as the most difficult overs to bowl in the short forms of the game - in the powerplay and at the death. A winner of Australia's domestic T20 competition, the Big Bash League (BBL), 31-year-old Richardson has played 154 T20 matches to-date, taking 200 wickets.

In his 90 BBL appearances so far, he has 117 wickets at an economy of 7.87. For his country, he has 35 T20 caps and 44 international T20 wickets, with an average of 23.29, and has four years of experience in playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

He took 13 wickets in seven appearances for Birmingham Phoenix in the 2022 edition of The Hundred, averaging 13.15 with the ball and finishing with five 2-plus wicket hauls. On joining Kent Spitfires in T20s this year, Richardson said: "Kent have a great T20 pedigree and I am looking forward to the challenge of performing in the T20 Blast for the first time."

"I know the Club has won both English white-ball titles in the last two years and it will be my job to help us continue this hot run of form in 2023." "I am looking forward to meeting Kent's Members and supporters in May as we begin the T20 Blast," he concluded.

Kent's Director of Cricket, Paul Downton, said: "We are really excited to have Kane join us for the whole T20 competition this year." "He is an established international bowler who will bring a vast amount of experience to the Club. His skillset is up there with the best and he will be an invaluable source of information to our young and developing seamers."

Kent Spitfires' T20 opener is against Gloucestershire at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence in Canterbury on Wednesday 24.