Handscomb signs new Leics deal but will miss run-in

Peter Handscomb was part of the Leicestershire side that won the One-Day Cup in 2023

Captain Peter Handscomb has signed a new one-year deal with Leicestershire - but will miss the final weeks of the County Championship Division Two leaders' push for promotion.

The 34-year-old will be unavailable for the three remaining games this month as he returns home to Australia for the start of the domestic season there with Victoria.

His departure means Pakistan skipper Shan Masood, who has already featured for Leicestershire in the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup this season, will come in as their second overseas player, alongside Logan van Beek, for what remains of the four-day campaign.

Handscomb, who first joined Leicestershire in 2023, took over as captain at the start of the season and has been instrumental in guiding them to the brink of returning to the top-flight of the English county game.

With 601 runs from 11 matches this season, the former Australia international is Leicestershire's third highest run scorer.

Since the County Championship was split into divisions at the turn of the century, Leicestershire remain the only club to have never gained promotion.

But they are 52 points clear of third-placed Derbyshire with three games to go and need just one more win to go up.

"To come back as a Division One player and a Division One club would be something special," Handscomb told the club website.

"There's still a bit of work to do with the final three games coming up, but the boys are in a really good place. I'll definitely be watching the games from home."