YORKSHIRE County Cricket Club have confirmed the signing of Lockie Ferguson for the 2021 Vitality Blast campaign.

New Zealand international Ferguson is expected to be available to play in all of the Vikings’ North Group matches this summer, subject to any international involvement.

The 29-year-old bowler, who made his international T20 debut in 2017, was one of the standout players in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, taking 21 wickets across the tournament, including three in the final against England.

A right-arm quick bowler, Ferguson will add another dimension to the Vikings’ bowling attack and provide some valuable experience.

Ferguson said: “I’m really excited to have signed for Yorkshire for the upcoming T20 Blast. I have fond memories of my time in the county game back in 2018 and look forward to getting back over to the UK.

“It’s a big year for T20 cricket with the T20 World Cup towards the end of the year, so regular top level T20 cricket throughout the year, particularly at such a big county, is hugely beneficial.”

First XI Coach Andrew Gale said: “Lockie has got x-factor pace. Pace in T20 cricket is always a good thing, but his death bowling in particular will be hugely beneficial.

“We haven’t had somebody who is reliable and consistent at the death for a number of years. This is something that we have been working on with the lads in house, but also having someone who you can rely on at the death is a big plus.

“We wanted a bowler with some experience because we felt with our young seamers, we want to keep them fit and protect them throughout the season. We had a number of injuries last year to our young seamers, so we want to look after them.

“By bringing Lockie in, it means that the burden of workload for them should be a bit smaller. It fits the bill and we are glad to get him on board. Having somebody available for the whole competition is also a big thing.”

West Indies batsman Nicholas Pooran was Yorkshire’s overseas T20 player in 2019, and was due to be so again for 2020, before the coronavirus pandemic saw his contract cancelled by mutual consent.