From The Archive: T20 Overseas Signings

Words: Dave Allen

When the new T20 competition was launched in 2003, at the then Rose Bowl with Hampshire’s final-over victory against Sussex, it was a brief interlude in the county season; just five matches over an 11-day period, followed by four teams appearing at a Trent Bridge Finals Day, three-and-a-half weeks later. Hampshire did not make that Finals Day and while their side in that first year included Simon Katich and Wasim Akram, they were also playing in the other formats for the county. There were no ‘special’ overseas signings back then in the T20.

In the following year Hampshire could choose any two from three Australians: Michael Clarke, and the two Shanes, Warne & Watson. The latter scored 97* in a home win v Kent which took them to the quarter-final v Lancashire but captain Warne took Watson’s place without scoring a run or taking a wicket, as Lancashire won by nine wickets.

The three Australians also played in all formats and Warne returned for the first T20 match in 2005, prior to the famous ‘Ashes’ series. He was joined by New Zealander Craig McMillan who did not play in the Championship. In 2006, another ‘Aussie’ Dominic Thornely came for a full overseas season, under the captaincy of Warne, although the leg-spinner chose to play no more in the shortest form and his Hampshire T20 career concluded after two matches, twelve runs and one wicket. Thornely’s best was top-scoring with 50* in a resounding victory over Middlesex at the Rose Bowl.

Yet another Australian Adam Voges arrived in 2007, as the first to play exclusively in the T20 competition. He scored 66* in a rain-affected match v Sussex at the Rose Bowl which the visitors won; otherwise he enjoyed little success, ending with an average of 17.66. In 2008, Hampshire’s new signings were Australian all-rounder Ian Harvey and South African pace bowler ‘Nante’ Hayward – it is worth noting that in these early seasons, other southern Africans including Sean Ervine, Nic Pothas, Greg Lamb and Jono McLean were playing for Hampshire, but not as ‘overseas’ signings. Hayward took 13 wickets in his 10 matches for the county, but again Hampshire did not progress beyond the group stages. 

They reached a quarter-final in 2009 but it came a few days after their cup win at Lord’s and with a side that included leg-spinner Imran Tahir, they were beaten at Northampton. In 2010, they finally got beyond the quarter-final and at Finals Day on their own ground they beat Essex and on the final ball, Somerset, to take the trophy. Neil McKenzie had joined Hampshire and enjoyed considerable success in all formats over four seasons, while in 2010, the other signings were Pakistani Abdul Razzaq and Australian Dan Christian.

To take the trophy, Hampshire played 16 group matches, a quarter-final, a semi-final and the Final – 19 matches; almost four times the number seven years earlier. Their victory took them in the winter to the Caribbean T20 when they were reinforced by South African batsman Johannes Myburgh who remained for the 2011 home season but played only in the other two formats, while Imran Tahir returned alongside Shahid Afridi. The pair of them plus Danny Briggs spun Hampshire to another Finals Day, but Somerset had their revenge at Edgbaston, winning the first super over.

Hampshire won the Trophy again in 2012, this time at Cardiff, with contributions on the way from ‘Aussies’ Glenn Maxwell and Simon Katich – plus McKenzie - and they embarked on a run of years reaching Finals Day but without reaching another Final. The left-arm Pakistani pace bowler Sohail Tanvir appeared in 2013; McKenzie’s final year. In 2014, they lost the semi-final to Lancashire without an official overseas player, although Maxwell and Nathan Rimmington played in some of the earlier rounds, while the key arrival was Kyle Abbott, in his first season at Hampshire, playing in all formats.

Pace bowlers Yasir Arafat, Fidel Edwards and Australian Jackson Bird arrived in 2015, and the first two helped them to win the quarter-final at Worcester, but Lancashire beat them in the semi-final again; then in 2016 they failed to qualify for the quarter-finals for the first time since 2008. A variety of overseas men appeared that year including West Indies captain Darren Sammy, Shahid Afridi, Tino Best who had replaced the injured Edwards, and South African Ryan McLaren - an effective all-rounder in all formats.

In 2017, Kyle Abbott returned on a Kolpak deal while Shahid Afridi led an astonishing assault in the quarter-final at Derby scoring 101 from 43 balls. That took them to another Edgbaston Finals Day but chasing 170 Afridi went to the first ball, and Hampshire lost by 23 runs. In 2018, South African-born New Zealander Colin Munro was joined by spinner Mujeeb Zadran from Afghanistan – Hampshire’s first signing from that country and prior to anyone from India.

It was not a particularly successful combination, although both had some effective games, but Hampshire did not reach Finals Day and they fell short in 2019 when their T20 campaign began with South African Chris Morris, fresh from the World Cup. Late in the campaign they added another South African, the unorthodox slow-left-armer, Tabraiz Shamsi, who took three wickets in four matches.

The ultimate way to enjoy all the T20 drama at the The Ageas Bowl next summer is with a Vitality Blast Passport – which includes access to all seven of Hampshire’s home matches – and Passports are currently available for just £99 courtesy of the Early Bird + rate.

What's more, the Early Bird + Passport also includes a free guest voucher, which allows you to bring a friend or loved one along to enjoy the action with you at a home group fixture of your choice.

All 2020 Early Bird + Passports are available to purchase online via the link above, over the phone on 0844 847 1863 or in person from the The Ageas Bowl Ticketing and Membership Office during normal working hours.