St Lucia Stars have named New Zealand’s Jesse Ryder and Mitchell McClenaghan as replacements for David Miller and Lasith Malinga respectively, for the upcoming edition of the Caribbean Premier League, which begins on August 4, according to ESPNCricinfo.
While Miller is likely to join South Africa A for their two four-day matches against India A, Malinga, who has been having injury troubles lately, might feature in the limited-overs series against India.
Ryder played his last competitive game in March, scoring an unbeaten 109 in the second innings to take Central Districts to a win against Canterbury. The all-rounder, whose international career has been regularly interrupted by a spate of alcohol-related issues, last appeared for New Zealand in 2014. He has, however, been named in New Zealand’s 12-man squad for the Indoor Cricket World Cup in Dubai, which begins in September this year. He averages 26.13 in 133 T20s and strikes at 147.02.
McClenaghan, the left-arm fast bowler, played a key role in Mumbai Indians’ successful IPL campaign this year, taking 19 wickets to finish as the team’s second-highest wicket-taker. McClenaghan has made 28 T20I appearances, taking 30 wickets at an average of 25.26.
Speaking about the new signings, Manan Pandya of the St Lucia Stars franchise said: “Both Jesse and Mitchell are world-class players who will bring firepower to the squad in terms of both batting and bowling. We are sure that these new Stars will shine as we work on bringing home our first Hero CPL title.”
