Ashton Turner: Worcestershire sign Australia batsman for T20 Blast

Ashton Turner has made 11 T20 appearances for Australia and played in three one-day internationals

Worcestershire have signed Australia international batsman Ashton Turner for the T20 Blast in 2020.

The 26-year-old Western Australian, who played alongside Englishmen Ian Bell and Tim Bresnan to help Perth Scorchers win the Big Bash in 2016-17, will be available for the whole tournament.

Worcestershire, who won in 2018, made it to their second Finals Day in 2019.

They lost in the final to Essex but are set on making the short trip to Edgbaston for the third straight year.

Turner, currently playing for Australia in their home T20 deries with Pakistan, will be one of Worcestershire's two permitted overseas players, along with New Zealander Hamish Rutherford, who is available in all formats for the whole season.

Worcestershire had three in 2018; World Cup finalist Martin Guptill, who was unavailable for the final, Australian Callum Ferguson and Rutherford, who came in for the latter stages to substitute for Ferguson.

Worcestershire cricket steering group chairman Paul Pridgeon said: "Ashton is a promising, young player. He is a top order batter, batting four or five at the moment in the Australian T20 side.

"His stats stack up. We've seen footage of him and have done our homework. He is also a terrific fielder which helps."

Turner, who has won the Big Bash twice with Perth, made his Indian Premier League debut earlier this year for Rajasthan Royals, playing alongside two more England internationals Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer.