Pope to replace injured Agar for Northants T20 campaign

Lloyd Pope, who will be playing his first domestic cricket outside Australia, has taken 47 T20 wickets in 40 matches at an average of 23.14

Northamptonshire have signed Australian leg spinner Lloyd Pope for the T20 Blast after overseas star Ashton Agar was ruled out through injury.

Agar had been booked to reprise his 2024 role at Wantage Road for the domestic T20 competition which starts on 29 May.

But after the 31-year-old suffered a calf strain, the Steelbacks have moved quickly to secure Pope for the group stages in a like-for-like swap.

Pope, who twice won the Big Bash with former club Sydney Sixers before joining his current franchise Adelaide Strikers, was named in the most recent Big Bash Team of the Tournament.

And Northants head coach Darren Lehmann believes the uncapped 25-year-old will be a useful addition to the team.

"Lloyd is an exciting leg spinner and will provide us with a good attacking option with the ball," Lehmann told the club website.

"Not a lot of people will have seen him play and he will provide some mystery to oppositions."

The Steelbacks, who have won the Blast twice, made it out of the group stages last season before losing to Somerset in the quarter-finals.

They kick off their Blast campaign against Yorkshire at Headingley on 30 May.