Luke Wright signs with Wellington

Luke Wright, the Sussex and England allrounder, has signed with Wellington in New Zealand for their domestic Twenty20 tournament which runs throughout December.

Wright wasn't included in either England's Ashes squad or the performance programme that will run alongside the full tour, but is still expected to be part of the one-day party for the latter part of the Australia tour and the World Cup.

He has played 42 one-day internationals and 27 Twenty20s for England since making his debut in 2007 although isn't a permanent fixture in the 50-over side where he averages 21.42 with the bat and 51.26 with the ball. During the recent one-day series against Pakistan he played two matches, hitting an unbeaten 48 at The Oval and claiming the key wicket of Kamran Akmal at the Rose Bowl. In Twenty20 internationals Wright has a batting strike-rate of 129.13.

As with Ravi Bopara, who is joining the Dolphins in South Africa, Wright's overseas stint means he'll have plenty of match practice before the Twenty20 and one-day series against Australia in January. "Having played many games against New Zealand and touring with England two years ago, I know first hand the skill and toughness that Kiwis bring to the cricket field," he said. "I'm keen to test myself alongside and against the best in their domestic competition."

Anthony Stuart, the Wellington coach, added. "I'm thrilled that Wellington has secured a player of Luke Wright's quality. He is exactly the type of player who will complement the skill set of our players. We were looking for an exciting player who has the ability to win matches with both bat and ball and Luke will perform this role extremely well."