4 Apr 2015

McCullum to play in England

7:59 am on 4 April 2015

The Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum has confirmed he has signed for Warwickshire's Birmingham Bears for the defence of their English Twenty20 title.

The Black Caps' captain Brendon McCullum bowling during the Cricket World Cup.

The Black Caps' captain Brendon McCullum bowling during the Cricket World Cup. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

McCullum has signed a seven-match deal with the club after leading the Black Caps to the World Cup final.

That should make him available for half of the Bears' qualifying group games, as they aim to defend the trophy they won for the first time in August.

He'll link up with the Bears after New Zealand's tour of England, and his first game will be against Lancashire on June 26th at Old Trafford.

McCullum is the leading run scorer in the history of T20 internationals, with 2105 at an average over 35, and two centuries.

The 33-year-old says Edgbaston is a fantastic ground to play at, hopefully, it will be rocking for the big Friday night matches. I'm really excited about becoming a Bear.

Bears director of cricket Dougie Brown says McCullum's dynamic performances in the World Cup have demonstrated once again exactly why he is one of the most feared batsmen in the game.

Brown says securing his availability for their last seven games has to make him one of the biggest overseas player signings in the competition's history.

McCullum, who will be making his 10th move to a T20 team, will be taking up his third contract within county cricket in England and Wales.

He previously played for Glamorgan in 2006 and Sussex, for whom he played limited-overs cricket only in 2010.

McCullum will join former Black Caps spinner Jeetan Patel at Warwickshire.

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