The Melbourne Renegades have unveiled English all-rounder Matt Critchley as the club's latest international signing, with the leg-spinner joining the BBL franchise as a replacement player.
Critchley lands at the Renegades after the departures of fellow BBL|12 international signings Mujeeb Ul Rahman and Akeal Hosein, who both feature in all nine of the club's matches to start the season.
The duo leave a pair of spots in the Renegades' spin-bowling depth chart, however the Melbourne side have announced veteran Fawad Ahmed as a replacement player to help the deficit.
Critchley will significantly help this area too, with the Englishman set to be handy leg-spin option as well as being known for a strong strike rate with the bat.
The 26-year-old most recently recorded 15 wickets from 10 matches with Blast side Essex, where he also scored 248 runs at a strike rate of 139.33.
Renegades General Manager James Rosengarten said the club were thrilled to announce the signing of Critchley after scouting the Englishman.
"We've had our eye on Matt for some time given his hard-hitting and spin-bowling combination. We've got a strong connection with Essex so we know a lot about his game and what he can bring to the Renegades as a bowler, batter, fielder and teammate," Rosengarten said in a club statement.
"Mujeeb and Akeal have been world-class. While it's a shame to see them leave it's exciting to welcome someone with the skillset that Matt provides and we're confident he'll make an impact on the competition."
Critchley was recently named in England's reserve ODI squad to face Sri Lanka next month.
He will be able to slot into an in-form Renegades lineup that is currently without a pair of veterans due to injury.
Shaun Marsh is currently nursing a hamstring issue, while skipper ic Maddinson won't feature in the rest of the tournament due to an ACL injury.
The Renegades' next match will come against the Adelaide Strikers in South Australia on Tuesday night before they host state rivals the Stars at Marvel on Saturday evening.
