Middle-order batter might additionally play two Championship video games; James Harris joins Glamorgan on mortgage
Gloucestershire have introduced the signing of Glenn Phillips, the New Zealand batter, for the length of their T20 Blast marketing campaign.
Phillips, 24, dislodged Ross Taylor to change into a member of New Zealand’s first-choice T20I aspect this season, taking part in all 14 of their residence fixtures and hitting 108 off 51 balls towards West Indies. He will present a wicketkeeping choice if James Bracey misses a number of the Blast on account of England responsibility, and can even bowl occasional offbreaks.
A specialist middle-order batter, Phillips has improved his sport towards spin markedly throughout 4 seasons taking part in for the Jamaica Tallawahs within the Caribbean Premier League, and is known to have been mentioned as a doable back-up choice by IPL franchises forward of February’s public sale.
He will add additional firepower to a squad that reached Finals Day final summer time for the primary time since 2007, becoming a member of Ian Cockbain, Jack Taylor, Benny Howell and Ryan Higgins within the middle-order engine room. Phillips spent the 2016 summer time within the UK taking part in for MCC Young Cricketers and for Brondesbury CC in membership cricket, and this shall be his first stint in county cricket.
Phillips may also be accessible for the County Championship fixtures that happen through the Blast, particularly towards Middlesex and Hampshire at Cheltenham, by which level Kraigg Brathwaite’s stint on the membership could have ended. He has a strong first-class document, averaging 40.18, and made a half-century in his solely Test to this point – towards Australia in early 2020. Having missed out on New Zealand’s squad for the tour of England, he shall be accessible to play all through the Blast, and may very well be a lovely choice as a short-term alternative taking part in through the Hundred.
Ian Harvey, Gloucestershire’s interim head coach, stated: “Glenn is very exciting to watch and he’s going to add a massive amount to what is already a powerful T20 batting line-up. He can bat at the top of the order, in the middle and also add to our firepower at the end. He’s a bit of an allrounder because he bowls and keeps wicket as well so he will give us plenty of options.
“To have somebody in your aspect with the flexibility to do just about all the things is a big bonus and his expertise of taking part in world wide in franchise cricket goes to be an enormous profit for our gamers. He’s performed Test match cricket and might preserve wicket so he provides us loads of choices if we wish to carry him in for red-ball video games.”
Meanwhile, Glamorgan have announced the signing of James Harris, the Middlesex seamer, on loan for their next two Championship fixtures. Harris, who is president of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, came through the club’s academy system before joining Middlesex in 2012, and is returning to Wales on loan for the second time after a similar move in 2014.
Harris has fallen down the pecking order at Middlesex and was not named in their squads for the first two Championship games of the season. Glamorgan are experiencing an availability crisis within their seam-bowling department with Ruaidhri Smith and Jamie McIlroy suffering injuries, Timm van der Gugten reporting muscle tightness and Michael Neser yet to arrive as an overseas player, giving Harris an opportunity to play in their matches against Northamptonshire and Kent.
Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @mroller98