Australian seamer Jackson Bird has signed up for the Canterbury-based Kent for the 2022 season of the County Championship.
Bird, who has represented Australia in 9 Tests since making his debut against Sri Lanka in the 2012 Boxing Day Test, has played over 100 First-Class games and scalped 419 wickets in his kitty.
The 35-year-old will represent the Canterbury side in as many as six games during the upcoming summer.
As expected, the right-handed seamer is thrilled to join Kent and is looking forward to the "challenges that come with it".
"I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to play County Championship cricket again. There is a talented bowling attack at Kent and I'm looking forward to the challenges that come with that, and helping my new teammates get points on the board at the start of the season." Bird said as quoted by ‘The Cricketer’.
Bird is not new to the English county circuit. He has previously featured for the likes of Hampshire and Nottinghamshire. The seamer was scheduled to turn up for Lancashire last year before an untimely injury derailed those plans.
Kent's director of cricket, Paul Downton, hailed Bird as a 'proven wicket-taker', adding that the Australian's inclusion will bode well for young and upcoming seamers.
"We're delighted that Jackson will be joining us for the early matches of this year’s County Championship," he said.
"He is an experienced bowler who will strengthen our squad as we begin our Championship campaign. He is a proven wicket-taker who will also be a great mentor for our young seamers, and we look forward to welcoming him to Canterbury." he added.
Bird had a stellar 2020/21 Sheffield Shield season as he topped the wicket charts, snaring 35 scalps at an average of 22.2.
He played just one game this season, claiming five wickets.
Kent will hope that the 35-year-old spearheads the bowling attack, which already features the likes of Fred Klaassen, Darren Stevens, Nathan Gilchrist, Matt Milnes, Matt Quinn.