Cricket: Guptill signs with Derbyshire

Martin Guptill. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill has signed with Derbyshire as their overseas player for the second part of the 2011 English county cricket season.

Guptill, 24, will replace Australian batsman Usman Khawaja for the second half of the county championship and also the one-day limited overs competition. He and Khawaja will feature together in the English Twenty20 tournament.

Guptill debuted for New Zealand in 2009 and is a feature in the national team in all three forms of the game. He is part of New Zealand's 15-man squad for the World Cup, which starts in mid-February and finishes in early April. Guptill will join Derbyshire after the tournament.

"Martin has made a significant impact on the international scene in recent times and we are excited about bringing such a talented cricketer to Derbyshire," Derbyshire head of cricket John Morris said in a statement.

"I'm sure the experience of playing county cricket will be of great benefit to Martin as it has been for many international cricketers in the past."

- NZPA