Worcestershire, Jul 4 (IANS): New Zealand batsman Hamish Rutherford will be part of Worcestershire's set-up for the T20 Blast competition, the county has confirmed. The New Zealander will be available for the entire T20 tournament which the Worcestershire Rapids won in 2018 and were runners-up 12 months later, it added.

Rutherford experienced a successful first spell at Blackfinch New Road during 2019 and became only the second player to score a century on First Class and List A debut for Worcestershire.

He hit 123 in the County Championship match at the Fischer County Ground, Leicester and then 108 in the Royal London One-Day Cup versus Lancashire at the Old Trafford.

Rutherford, the son of former Black Caps captain Ken Rutherford, had been originally scheduled to play the entire 2020 season for Worcestershire CCC before the impact of COVID-19 delayed the campaign.

Worcestershire head coach Alex Gidman said: "It's been a bitterly frustrating time for anyone in cricket all around the world and it's no different for Hamish.

"He was desperately keen to come and play for us again for the whole summer. Obviously that hasn't happened and it's great the club are still looking to pursue him for T20 cricket.

"We are looking forward to him coming back. Hamish and Riki (Wessels) can cause quite a lot of destruction at the top of the order and it's important for us as a club and as a group of players that we challenge as much as we can in that competition.

"It's something we've been successful in for the past two years and, regardless of how that competition looks this year, we want to try and do as well as possible in it," he added.