Colin de Grandhomme: Birmingham Bears sign all-rounder for T20 Blast

Colin de Grandhomme had a T20 Blast strike rate of more 170.32 for Bears in 2017

Birmingham Bears have re-signed New Zealand all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme for their 2018 T20 Blast campaign.

The big-hitting 31-year-old played a key role as Bears reached the final of the competition in 2017 and will be available for all this season's games.

De Grandhomme played in 16 T20 Blast games last term, scoring 322 runs and also taking five wickets.

He scored the second-fastest Test century by a New Zealander in December, reaching three figures off 71 balls.

"I absolutely loved my time with the Bears last season," said de Grandhomme. "We played some excellent T20 cricket and came very close to winning the T20 Blast on Finals Day.

"We've got a young squad with plenty of firepower and I believe that we have every chance of going one step further in 2018."

Sport director Ashley Giles described de Grandhomme an "outstanding character" who is "incredibly popular".

"He went on to play a huge role on our path to the final last year and we saw him change the outlook of several games very quickly," Giles added.