Peter Handscomb joins Middlesex as captain on two-year deal

The Australian will take charge in the County Championship and One-Day Cup following the departure of Dawid Malan

Australia's Peter Handscomb has agreed to join Middlesex on a two-year deal as captain of the Lord's club.

As exclusively revealed in the October edition of The Cricketer, the 28-year-old has filled the void left by Dawid Malan's resignation and subsequent departure to Yorkshire

Handscomb, who will link-up with fellow-Aussie and head coach Stuart Law, will lead the team in the County Championship and One-Day Cup.

Following a spell with Yorkshire in 2017, Handscomb spent the second half of last term at Durham as a replacement for Cameron Bancroft.

He scored a single half-century in three Championship innings but weighed in with 206 runs at 34.33 in the T20 Blast.

Though overlooked for the Ashes series, Handscomb has played 16 Tests for his country, scoring two centuries and four fifties. In 21 one-day internationals he has reached three figures just once.

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"We are delighted and excited to have an all-round cricketer of Peter's stature at the club," said Law, whose side finished eighth in Division Two, but reached the knock-out stages of the Blast and One-Day Cup.

“I have known Peter for some time and worked with him at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane seven or eight years ago, so I know what a top bloke he is. 

“Peter is a fine player and he will fill a couple of the gaps that have been created. 

"He is a successful captain, a fine middle-order player and the sort of character who will help create a strong positive environment that will keep moving the club forward. 

"He has been brought up in a tough environment and his background will help with the continued development of our young cricketers."