Tom Bruce: Sussex sign New Zealand batsman for T20 Blast

Tom Bruce's top score in T20 internationals is 59 not out

Sussex have signed New Zealand batsman Tom Bruce for the duration of their T20 Blast campaign.

The right-hander has scored 958 runs at an average of 28.17 in his 14 T20 international appearances for the Black Caps since his debut in January 2017.

The 2009 T20 winners have brought in Bruce, 26, following a knee injury to South African Kolpak player Stiaan van Zyl which means "an extended lay-off".

Bruce was already over in England for the summer playing league cricket.

As well as playing for Weybridge in the Surrey Premier League, he has also made four appearances for Surrey in the Second XI Trophy, hitting 172 off 135 balls against Sussex seconds at New Malden just a fortnight ago.

Bruce will appear in a Sussex shirt for the first time this Friday (8 June) when he plays against the 2018 Aboriginal XI at Hove.

His T20 debut could be against Essex at Chelmsford on 4 July, followed by a trip to Cardiff to face Glamorgan, then Sussex's first scheduled home game against Surrey on 13 July.

Sussex head coach Jason Gillespie said: "Tom has experience on the biggest stage with New Zealand and is exactly the type of dynamic middle order stroke maker we're looking for.

"The injury to Stiaan van Zyl forced us to reassess our squad and we've decided that we need to bring in a quality overseas batsman for the duration of the tournament."