Melbourne Renegades sign Richard Gleeson for Big Bash

The Lancashire pace bowler has been drafted in by the Renegades following the withdrawals of Pakistani overseas stars Faheem Ashraf and Usman Shinwari from this season's competition

• Latest Big Bash news
• Melbourne Renegades season preview

Richard Gleeson has agreed a deal to join Melbourne Renegades for the upcoming Big Bash.

The Lancashire pace bowler has been drafted in by the Renegades following the withdrawals of Pakistani overseas stars Faheem Ashraf and Usman Shinwari from this season's competition.

Gleeson will join fellow Englishman Harry Gurney at the Melbourne franchise. Gurney is now available for the entire campaign, while Gleeson will provide cover for the first eight matches of the competition before the arrival of Mohammad Nabi.

“Richard bowls with genuine pace and is capable of hitting the areas that make it difficult for batsmen to score on a regular basis.  His skills in the power play and at the death have resulted in him being one of the best T20 bowlers in the T20 Blast in recent years,” Renegades head coach Michael Klinger said.

“It’s obviously unfortunate to lose Shinwari and Ashraf on the eve of the season but sometimes that’s the nature of T20 cricket in a busy international schedule. We know things can change quickly with international players and we need to be ready to respond.

“We’re delighted to have Harry Gurney for the whole tournament given his performances in the Big Bash last season and Nabi will also be a welcome addition when he arrives in January.”

Shinwari was called up by Pakistan for the Test series against Sri Lanka, rendering him unavailable, while Ashraf was recalled by his domestic club.

Subscribe to The Cricketer this Christmas and receive a £20 John Lewis voucher or Alastair Cook’s autobiography. Claim your free gift here

Subscribe to The Cricketer for exclusive content every day: The inside track on England's Test tour with George Dobell in Pakistan, award-winning analysis, breaking news and interviews and the only place for in-depth county coverage all year round. Plus: An ad-free app experience at your fingertips. Subscribe to thecricketer.com today for just £1.