Cricket: Superstars set for T20

Herschelle Gibbs. Photo / Getty Images

A small army of explosive Australians - and perhaps one controversial South African, Herschelle Gibbs - seem set to add extra firepower to the domestic Twenty20 competition this summer.

Brett Lee has been cleared to play for the Wellington Firebirds by his Australian masters, while there is strong word that 27-year-old Shaun Tait will turn out for Canterbury, although injury may yet scupper that.

Fiery opening batsman David Warner is another said to be likely to play in New Zealand's HRV Cup while other names on the radar of provinces here have included West Indian all-rounder Kieron Pollard and Australia's Andrew Symonds.

Lee is apparently all set to sign with Wellington. Cricket Australia confirmed yesterday that it would not stand in his way and, with Lee and Wellington both apparently happy to shake hands, the deal seems set to be confirmed.

Wellington CEO Gavin Larsen said that, while he was "really positive" about signing Lee, he added: "I'd say, in softball parlance, we are rounding second base and heading for third. I'm just waiting on that last, positive email saying we'll be rounding third and heading for home."

Such negotiations with overseas players are notoriously tricky, especially in the burgeoning world of T20, where players have been finding ready markets for their services.

However, the 150 km/hr-plus Tait might be stymied in his bid to play for the Canterbury Wizards this summer. It is understood that Tait has signed for the province, but has now damaged an elbow - requiring surgery and keeping him out for two months. That would still give him time to play for Canterbury but, with the Australian World Cup team to be named in November, Tait's reasons for coming to New Zealand may have narrowed. However, it is still Northern Districts which could yet make the biggest splash in the overseas player pool. As reported in the Herald on Sunday in August, the province could use as many as four in the T20 series. Gibbs, Warner, Pollard and Symonds have all been linked with ND and CEO David Cooper says the province is close to making an announcement, perhaps next week.

"The first 95 per cent of these negotiations is the easiest," he said. "Then you have to jump through all sorts of hoops and have to confront loopholes. Things are still pretty sensitive but I am hopeful that we will be in a position soon to make an announcement."

Gibbs, the explosive opening bat, will be 37 in February and no longer wins selection for the Proteas - but retains the free-scoring talent that has distinguished his career. He and Warner would be dangerous at the top of the ND order although the likelihood is that they will not play together all that often.

Gibbs has also been linked with the Queensland Bulls for Australia's "Big Bash" T20 series - but the timing is such that he could play here and then head across the Tasman to play in Australia anyway.

That is the attraction for the Australians - warming up and playing themselves into form in the New Zealand series before backing up in their local competition holds many benefits for them now; not least financially and for World Cup selection. Players could be rotated in and out of the team according to their various T20 obligations.

ND's close association with Queensland is another reason the controversial Symonds, 35, could be in the frame as well. He has played for Surrey in the English T20 competition and for the Deccan Chargers in the India Premier League (IPL) and, though he is now out of the reckoning for the Australian team after his disciplinary and drinking lapses, he is still one of the world's foremost T20 all-rounders. Australian sources, suggest, however, that Symonds has not yet made up his mind re a stint in New Zealand.

Pollard, another all-rounder, was also on ND's shopping list but it is thought interest may have cooled.

Lee, who will be 34 next month, has had an injury-plagued year, including elbow surgery, and has not represented Australia since October 2009. He hasn't played much high-level cricket since the IPL in April and wants to get back in the frame for Australia's World Cup defence after, like Tait, retiring from test cricket to prolong his short-form career.

However, if the two Aussie expresses are interesting newcomers to the T20 scene here, with their pace a real weapon in their four-over T20 bursts, Gibbs shapes as perhaps the most fascinating prospect.

He was involved in the South African match-fixing affair with former captain Hansie Cronje, who offered him $15,000 to score 'less than 20' in a one-dayer. Gibbs told an inquiry that he didn't follow through on his side of the bargain, in fact scoring a fine 74. He was banned for only six months.

However, the episode had a more lasting sequel. Gibbs declined to tour India, fearing arrest. However, he was named in the South African squad for the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy and met with Indian police over his involvement in the match-fixing scandal. He has since played for the Deccan Chargers in the IPL.

- Additional reporting Ahmer Khokar