Riki Wessels: Worcestershire sign Notts batsman on three-year deal

Riki Wessels averaged 28.40 in County Championship Division One for Nottinghamshire this season

Worcestershire have signed batsman Riki Wessels on a three-year deal from Nottinghamshire.

Notts released Wessels, 32, from his contract with them to facilitate the move, just over a week after Joe Clarke left Worcestershire for Trent Bridge.

He joined Notts from Northamptonshire in 2011 and helped them win both the One-Day Cup and T20 Blast in 2017.

"I'm looking forward to another chapter of my career at a club I've a lot of admiration for," said Wessels.

Wessels is dropping down a division to join T20 Blast winners Worcestershire, who were relegated from the County Championship top flight, while Notts stayed up by the narrowest of margins.

Although born in Australia, the Pears' latest signing, son of former South Africa and Australia Test player Kepler Wessels, was granted UK citizenship in 2016.

As all-rounder Wayne Parnell has now agreed a Kolpak deal at New Road, it means Worcestershire will still be able to recruit an overseas player for 2019.

"We're delighted to have signed two such experienced players," head coach Kevin Sharp told BBC Hereford & Worcester.

"It adds good depth to the squad. We hope that they will help bring us what we want to achieve. Competition for places never does any harm.

"Getting Riki is a right coup for us. He's rated all around the country, and he will be good for us both in red ball and white ball, in which he can be explosive.

"The last time I saw him bat here at New Road this summer, against us, he got nine sixes and a single."