Santner returns for 'unfinished business'

New Zealand allrounder Mitchell Santner will re-join Worcestershire next season with his director of cricket, Steve Rhodes, affirming that he has some "some unfinished business" at New Road.

Santner will link up with Rapids for the NatWest T20 Blast, which is now in a condensed midsummer slot, after the conclusion of the Champions Trophy being held in England in June.

He will hope that it is a more successful undertaking than last season when he bowled four overs in the opening match against Durham Jets but then suffered a broken finger in the field and was never seen again.

Rhodes is delighted to land the services of Santner for a second spell, subject to obtaining the normal visa clearances and a No Objection Certificate from New Zealand Cricket.

Rhodes said: "For T20 cricket, people with three disciplines are really exciting. We know spin is a major player for T20 cricket so to have a top spinner is fantastic. We know Mitch can hit the ball out of the ground, because he has done that, but also being a left hander is useful to the composition of our top six - and he is also a great fielder.

"There is some unfinished business with Mitch. Last summer he was very unlucky to pick up that finger injury that needed pinning in the first game he played.

"We know he is a good player, an international player, but I always like to have signings where people have got something to prove and I think he feels that way so that's why it is an exciting signing.

"Losing Mitch was a massive blow to our hopes of qualifying. We'd had a good start and him playing all those games would have been an extra bonus for us."

Worcestershire have already signed Australian allrounder John Hastings for the 2017 campaign. Hastings' previous county loyalties have been with Durham but they remain under financial pressure after major restructuring, and an ECB bailout, prevented them from going bankrupt.