Daniel Christian replaces injured Brendon McCullum in the TKR squad

Australian all-rounder Daniel Christian has been roped in by Trinbago Knight Riders for the remainder of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2017 season. Christian will replace Brendon McCullum who got injured in the last league game against Barbados Tridents. The all-rounder who recently led his team Nottinghamshire to the title in the NatWest T20 Blast will join the Knight Riders ahead of the playoffs on Tuesday.

The skipper of Trinbago was hit on his left-arm by the Tridents pacer Wayne Parnell during the second innings of the match. The batsman left the field retired hurt in pain when he was on 26. Later he was ruled out of the season due to the fractured arm. The blow is a huge one to the franchise as they are one of the strong contenders to lift the trophy.

Simon Katich, the head coach of Trinbago, was disappointed for the loss of the former Kiwi skipper but also welcomed the Australian into the set-up. “Losing an iconic figure like Brendon to injury is clearly a massive loss to the team, but in Daniel, we have a proven match-winner who has just led a side to a T20 title in England. We hope that he can make it two trophies in two weeks with us in Trinidad,” he said.

Daniel Christian in T20 Blast

Christian led Nottinghamshire to their maiden domestic T20 title last week in England as they defeated Warwickshire on the finals’ day. He was excellent with both bat and ball throughout the season as he amassed 365 runs and scalped 11 wickets. His leadership credentials also enhanced as the tournament progressed and led his side to the title like a seasoned pro.

The 34-year-old has played for Australia in 15 T20Is picking 11 wickets, though he had nothing much to do with the bat. He is a T20 specialist as he plays for different teams in T20 leagues around the globe. Dan will be taking part in the Caribbean Premier League for the first time. He could be drafted into the playing XI straight away given his recent form. Which gives him a great opportunity to win the second T20 title in two weeks.