Australia pace bowler Xavier Bartlett will join up with Kent for their first eight games of this season’s T20 Blast.
Kent announced the signing of the 25-year-old at the end of February and, under the terms of his initial contract, he was set to be available for five of the opening seven County Championship matches, as well as at least the first eight fixtures of the T20 Blast.
Cricket Australia withdrew him from that planned stint after a busy winter playing in his homeland, but it has now been confirmed Bartlett will link up with Kent for the start of their T20 competition.
Bartlett made his international T20 debut for Australia against West Indies in February, taking two wickets, and also has two one-day international caps.
“We’ve been working extremely hard with Cricket Australia to ensure that Xavier can join us in some capacity this season, and we’re really pleased to have secured his services for eight matches of our T20 campaign,” Kent’s director of cricket, Simon Cook, said.
“He is hot property at the moment and fully deserves his new central contract with Australia. I know that Spitfires supporters around the world will be extremely excited that the BBL’s [Big Bash League] top wicket-taker this winter will be pulling on a Kent shirt this June.”
Bartlett took 20 wickets in 11 matches as Brisbane Heat won Big Bash 13.
