Leicestershire sign Hamish Rutherford for T20 Blast

The New Zealand international has scored nearly 4,000 T20 runs at a strike rate of 144.09 and is set to replace Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Leicestershire have signed Hamish Rutherford for the 2022 T20 Blast.

The 33-year-old is set to replace Afghanistan batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz, whose availability has been limited by IPL and international commitments. It is not yet known how much involvement, if any, Gurbaz will have in the 2022 campaign.

Rutherford, however, is a shrewd replacement signing. The New Zealand international has scored nearly 4,000 T20 runs at a strike rate of 144.09 and brings with him over 150 matches worth of experience in the format.

He’s also no stranger to the T20 Blast, having previously represented Essex, Worcestershire and Derbyshire. His record in the competition reads 1,250 runs at a strike rate of 153.56 in 45 appearances.

^{Rutherford is expected to replace Rahmanullah Gurbaz [Munir ur Zaman/AFP via Getty Images]}

Rutherford played for New Zealand in their recent tour match against Sussex.

Commenting on signing for Leicestershire, Rutherford said: "I am delighted to be joining Leicestershire for the Blast. I always enjoy playing county cricket and to be able to play another campaign is really exciting.

"I know the club has a talented young squad and a proud T20 history, so hopefully I can put up some decent numbers and contribute to a successful campaign."

Director of cricket, Claude Henderson, added: "We are extremely excited to welcome Hamish to Leicestershire and thank New Zealand Cricket for facilitating the signing.

"He is very familiar with county cricket and has proven qualities that will be a real asset to our squad."

Naveen-ul-Haq is Leicestershire’s other overseas signing for the T20 Blast, with the young Afghanistan pacer taking a competition-leading 26 wickets for the Foxes in 2021.