Leicestershire have replaced South African batsman Janneman Malan with Ireland all-rounder Gareth Delany ahead of the 2020 T20 Blast in the United Kingdom.
Malan was unable to join Leicestershire due to travel restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Gareth is a talented young all-rounder we have been keeping an eye on for a while,” said head coach Paul Nixon.
“We have been looking for a top-order batsman and a leg-spin bowler, as they are worth weight in gold in T20 cricket, and Gareth ticks both boxes for us.
“He is young, hungry to do well, and has good experience for a young player so will be a great addition to our squad.”
The 23-year-old Delany has played five ODIs and 23 T20Is for the Irish since debuting in 2019. He struck an impressive 89 not out against Oman in a T20I late last year. He also has a T20I half-century against Scotland.
“I'm really excited to be playing in the Blast, I was really unsure if I'd ever have the opportunity to play in county cricket, so I'm over the moon to be playing with Leicestershire and very grateful to both the club and Cricket Ireland for this chance,” said Delany.
“It'll be a challenging environment, but one from which I am hoping to further develop my game.”
More on Malan
The hard-hitting Malan starred for South Africa during a three-ODI series against Australia earlier this year. His century in the second match was particularly impressive.
“We exhausted every avenue in trying to get Janneman into the country, but issues out of our control have gone against us on this occasion,” added Leicestershire chief executive officer Sean Jarvis.
“It is a big blow for us because everyone was looking forward to Janneman playing for us. There is some budget for a signing or two and we have identified some targets, so we will continue to work hard to add to our squad ahead of the start of Blast.
“We would love to see Janneman become a Fox in the future and wish him the best over the next few months.”
Essex are the reigning T20 Blast champions. The 2020 tournament will start on 27 August.
