Worcestershire County Cricket Club have bolstered their squad ahead of the 2026 T20 Blast, signing Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza as a replacement for Australia’s Ben Dwarshuis.
Dwarshuis claimed 18 wickets in last season’s Blast and contributed valuable runs with the bat. Although he was initially set to return in 2026, he was withdrawn from his contract by Cricket Australia after being picked by Ricky Ponting’s Punjab Kings in the IPL auction.
Raza, primarily a middle-order batter and handy off-spinner, is not a direct like-for-like replacement but has committed to being available for the entire Blast campaign. He brings prior experience in the competition, having represented Northamptonshire County Cricket Club in 2024, and has also featured for Manchester Originals in The Hundred.
Worcestershire, champions in 2018 and runners-up in 2019, have struggled in recent seasons, reaching the quarter-finals only once in the past six editions. Their overseas contingent will also include Pakistani leg-spinner Usama Mir, who signed a long-term deal last year, while former England Under-19 left-arm spinner Fateh Singh strengthens an already impressive spin attack.
“I am delighted to be joining Worcestershire Rapids this summer and to be playing in a T20 competition that I really enjoy. I have loved my time in England whenever I have played there previously, so I can’t wait to get started and link up with the squad,” Raza told ESPNcricinfo.
Head coach Alan Richardson added: “Sikandar’s stats in T20 cricket speak for themselves. As a side aiming to challenge for the Vitality Blast trophy, it is important to have real quality in key areas. With Ben unable to join us, we wanted someone with international pedigree who can impact the game in all three facets, and we were very keen to secure Sikandar once he became available.”
Elsewhere, Leicestershire County Cricket Club confirmed that Keshav Maharaj’s deal had fallen through due to workload restrictions imposed by Cricket South Africa. The club has instead signed New Zealand left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel on a full-season, all-format contract.
Meanwhile, Kent County Cricket Club announced that Australian seamer Tom Rogers will return for a third consecutive T20 Blast season. Rogers has not played since sustaining a shoulder injury during a win against Sussex last July. He will compete with South Africans Keith Dudgeon and Senuran Muthusamy for Kent’s two overseas slots in the Blast.
Kent also confirmed that England batter Zak Crawley will remain with the club in 2026 after signing another rolling one-year deal aligned with his England contract, which runs until October.
