Richard Gleeson joins Birmingham Bears for T20 Blast

The 36-year-old endured a frustrating 2023 campaign with Lancashire, missing the entirety of the Blast with a hip problem suffered shortly after returning from a hand injury sustained at the ILT20

Richard Gleeson has joined Birmingham Bears for the T20 Blast after his release by Lancashire.

Gleeson's deal covers the whole tournament, which runs from May 31 to mid-September, with the group stage played out by the middle of July, before the knockout rounds towards the end of the season.

The 36-year-old endured a frustrating 2023 campaign with Lancashire, missing the entirety of the Blast with a hip problem suffered shortly after returning from a hand injury sustained at the ILT20.

The renewal of Gleeson's deal at Old Trafford was dependent on playing in at least half of their Blast season, and he was released at the end of the campaign.

He told The Cricketer in November that he was in discussions "with a few counties", and the pull of Edgbaston sees him join a side that has missed out on Finals Day at the quarterfinal stage in each of the last two years.

"Richard is an exciting appointment that adds another quality and proven bowler to our T20 Blast squad," said Warwickshire performance director Gavin Larsen.

^{Gleeson was on the losing side in the 2022 Blast final (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)}

"His pace bowling offers us a skillset that will be vital and, alongside Hassan Ali, will give us great coverage at both ends of the bowling innings."

Gleeson told The Cricketer in November: "When I get on the pitch my performances tend to speak for themselves. It's injuries that hold me back. It's an opportunity to show I am fit, I am ready, I can play three days in a row, four days in a row in the T10. Even though it's only two overs, it's still an intense game and you need to be able to back it up day after day."

He has been involved this winter with the ILT20, SA20 and Abu Dhabi T10.

"It's amazing to sign for such a big club and I can't wait to be a Bear," he added upon signing. "I can see we've got a really strong squad so hopefully we can bring home the trophy in front of our own fans at Edgbaston."

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