Derbyshire sign New Zealand Test batsman Hamish Rutherford
Wednesday 6 May 2015 17:38, UK
New Zealand Test opening batsman Hamish Rutherford has agreed a move to Derbyshire and will be available for 14 matches this summer.
It is a big boost for the County's batting options while Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan competes in the Caribbean Premier League.
The 26-year-old will join the club in the middle of June and will be able to play in all three formats until the end of July, starting with the NatWest T20 Blast fixture against Worcestershire on June 19.
In total, he will be available for seven NatWest T20 Blast fixtures, three LV= County Championship matches and four Royal London One-Day Cup games.
Rutherford, who is part of the New Zealand Test team touring England this May, said: "I’m looking forward to remaining in England and contributing to a successful Derbyshire side.
We have been able to reinforce our line-up with experienced overseas players across the season which provides us with options in all formats
"They are an ambitious club and coming off the back of a Test series, I intend to play my part in a successful season for Graeme and the team."
Rutherford has featured in 16 Tests for the Black Caps scoring 755 runs with a top score of 171 against England in Dunedin in 2013.
He is an explosive batsman in the shorter format, competing in 78 career Twenty20 matches, producing over 3,350 runs with an impressive strike rate of 143.5. He has also featured in 44 List A matches, scoring 1,157 runs with a top score of 110.
Elite Performance Director Graeme Welch said: “Hamish is a talented top-order batsman who already has experience playing county cricket in English conditions.
"He has international pedigree in both the long and shorter formats which will be key as he joins us at what is a busy part of the summer. He will join us fresh from a Test series versus England so he will be used to the conditions, match fit and raring to go.
"Together with Guptill, Rimmington, Amla and Dilshan, we have now been able to reinforce our line-up with experienced overseas players across the entire season which provides us with real options in all formats of the game."
