Essex rope in Cameron Delport for T20 Blast 2019

Cameron Delport is one of the most famous names in T20 circuits across the globe. The left-handed batsman from South Africa is a wanted entity in franchise cricketer after his impressive displays for Leicestershire in the T20 Blast, Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League and the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League.

Just a year ago, he helped Leicestershire qualify for the T20 Blast quarter-finals in 2017 for only the second time in 11 seasons with his career-best 109 against Nottinghamshire. Overall, he had scored 694 T20 runs at a strike rate of 135.54 for the club.

Earlier this month, his stroke-filled 84 had helped Paarl Rocks qualify for the knockout stage of the Mzansi Super League. But the southpaw recently faced a setback, going unsold in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) auction.

Well, he will have a chance to prove the franchises wrong after signing a two-year deal with Essex, on Wednesday (December 19) for the Blast. So far, he has scored almost 4,000 runs in 171 T20 matches at a strike-rate of 138.29. Delport can also contribute with the ball as he is a useful medium-pace bowler.

Essex welcomes Delport

Essex head coach Anthony McGrath was delighted after securing the services of the experienced campaigner as he desperately seeks a change of fortune for the team in the T20 Blast. McGrath welcomed Delport and said that the South African was the perfect pick for the team.

“We identified early on that we needed to add another batsman to the squad for the Vitality Blast and with all of his experience, Cameron fits the bill perfectly,” McGrath said.

Delport is also excited with the new deal and said he is looking forward to playing for Essex.

“I’m so happy to be joining Essex,” Delport said. “The club has such an amazing history and tradition so I’m proud to be given the opportunity to get involved. There is a strong squad at Chelmsford and I hope to play my part in getting the Eagles to Finals Day come September. I can’t wait to get started.”

Essex, meanwhile, have a dismal record in the T20 competition. Last year, they managed to win just two games and finished third from bottom in the South Group. They are yet to win a T20 title. The 2019 T20 Blast will kick off on July 18 with Essex visiting Middlesex at Lord’s.

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~ Written by Bijoy

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