Essex snap up Styris for T20

Scott Styris, the New Zealand allrounder, will turn out for Essex in the upcoming Friends Provident Twenty20 tournament. Styris was signed after the county's deal with Yusuf Pathan fell through due to the BCCI's decision to revoke the 'No Objection Certificate' which had been obtained to secure Pathan's participation.

Styris will not be available to Essex for the entire competition, which begins on June 1, as he will only join up with the team on June 10 - in time for the away game against Surrey - and his contract only runs to the end of the group stage, which ends on July 18. However, an option remains to extend Styris's contract for the quarter final stage.

"We are obviously delighted to secure the services of Scott," said Paul Grayson, Essex's first team head coach. "He is a vastly experienced cricketer and that is why we have signed him. He has shown good form for New Zealand and has the experience of the World Cup to offer.

"Scott is a general allrounder and a good Twenty20 player and we hope he will make a big impact on the side. As a committed cricketer he knows how to play the game and is a canny one-day player. He could well prove to be a very astute signing for Essex".

Styris, 34, retired from Tests at the beginning of 2008 but remains an integral part of New Zealand's limited-overs teams, having played 165 one-day internationals and 27 Twenty20 internationals. He also has a great deal of experience in English conditions, with stints at Durham and Middlesex, and is a veteran of domestic Twenty20 cricket, with 1733 runs and 63 wickets to his name.