Duo added to Surrey’s T20 Blast roster

Surrey have confirmed the signings of D’Arcy Short and Shadab Khan for next year’s T20 Vitality Blast campaign. Surrey won the inaugural T20 competition in 2003 but haven’t made it to the final since 2013 when they lost to Northants Steelbacks. As a result, it looks set to be a busy off-season as they attempt to assemble a squad capable of mounting a serious challenge for 2020. With that in mind, they have added two fresh faces to their roster with Shadab and Short confirmed as new arrivals. Leg-spinner Shadab is vastly experienced, despite only being 21, and has featured in 35 T20 internationals for Pakistan, while he claimed nine wickets in seven matches at this summer’s World Cup. Shadab said: “I’ve been waiting for this opportunity to play county cricket for a long time and T20 cricket at The Kia Oval is a great place to start. “I’m honoured to be following in the footsteps of some great Pakistan cricketers and will do my best to make both my new team and the Surrey fans proud.” Meanwhile, Short has been signed for his ability with the bat and replaces Aaron Finch as Surrey’s overseas batsman. The 29-year-old, who is Australia’s white-ball captain, represented Durham in this year’s T20 Blast and is keen to build on that experience. Short said: “I enjoyed my time in the Blast in 2019. To have the opportunity to come back in 2020 and play in front of full houses at one of the best grounds in the world is brilliant. I am already looking forward to joining up with the boys and I thank all involved for the opportunity.”