Shannon Gabriel, the West Indian fast bowler, will join Gloucestershire for the final three Championship games of the season.
Gloucestershire have confounded pre-season expectations by competing for promotion in Division Two, and sit third – level on points with second-placed Glamorgan – in the table with four games to play.
Three teams will be promoted to Division One this season, and the club will hope Gabriel’s signing can bring about a late-season run of form to ensure they are one of them.
Gloucestershire had hoped to have Daniel Worrall, the Australian seamer, available for the whole campaign, but his season was ended by a back injury in May.
He was then replaced by Chadd Sayers, the South Australian swing bowler, for four Championship games, while Andrew Tye and Michael Klinger have joined for the Blast.
Gabriel represents something of a controversial signing, after his four-match suspension following a sledge to Joe Root on England’s tour of the West Indies which drew the response: “Don’t use it as an insult. There’s nothing wrong with being gay.”
But the fast bowler issued a statement including his account of the exchange, and extended an “unreserved apology” to Root, and he has since returned to the West Indies team with little fuss.
Gabriel endured a difficult World Cup, with two wickets costing 86.50 apiece and an economy rate of 8.43, but he boasts much more experience with the red ball than with the white.
“I’m really looking forward to joining up with Gloucestershire in September and I will be trying my best to help the team push for promotion to Division One,” said Gabriel. “Hopefully I’ll be carrying some good form off the back of the Test series against India.”
Gloucestershire will become the second county Gabriel has represented, after a two-match stint for Worcestershire at the end of the 2015 season, in which he took nine wickets but could not save them from relegation.
“Shannon gives us some genuine pace and international experience,” said head coach Richard Dawson. “He will bring that extra pick-me-up for the last three weeks of the season, which is a tough slog after playing T20 cricket along with four months of four-day cricket.
“He gives us another string to our bow in our bowling attack and he will be playing Test cricket against India so he will be match fit, I’m really looking forward to getting him involved.
“Obviously, we’ve played some very good cricket this season and we want to maintain that, and if we do, it will go a long way to dictating where we finish in the table.”
Source: ESPN Crickinfo