Gloucestershire have re-signed New Zealand’s Glen Phillips for this season’s Vitality T20 Blast.
The 25-year-old finished last season as the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer behind Australia’s Josh Inglis.
The middle-order batter, scored exactly 500 runs in his 12 appearances in the Blast last year at a strike rate of 163.39.
“I really enjoyed my time at Glos last year and I am very glad to be returning this season,” Phillips said. “It’s going to be an exciting year and I can’t wait to get it underway.
Gloucestershire lost four of their last five group games to miss out on last years quarter-finals by a single point despite a strong start to the competition.
They will open their 2022 campaign on May 26 against Middlesex and Phillips’ availability for their opening games will depend on whether his IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad qualifies for the knockout stages.
Gloucestershire can also call upon the services of Pakistan’s Naseem Shah as an overseas player in the Blast, but he may leave early if selected for Pakistan’s ODI squad against West Indies, while Marcus Harris has expressed an ambition to be selected for their T20 side.
Naseem and Glenn Phillips will also have to go through Shadab Khan and Yorkshire in their bid to topple Kent Spitfires for the T20 Blast Crown.
Counties are allowed to register up to three overseas players simultaneously, though can only field two in their playing XI in any match.
“Glenn is a huge talent and was one of the best players in the Vitality Blast last year, so we’re delighted to have him back again this season,” Dale Benkenstein, Gloucestershire’s head coach, said.
“We have ambitions of competing for titles and that includes the T20 Vitality Blast. Glenn offers us a fantastic option at the top of the order. His addition, with his pedigree and experience, to an already strong white-ball side gives us a great chance of going toe-to-toe with every opposition we come up against.
