Sehwag signs for Steelbacks (From Bridgwater Mercury)

Sehwag signs for Steelbacks

8:28am Friday 12th March 2010 in National Sport © Press Association 2011

Indian superstar batsman Virender Sehwag is set to play for Northamptonshire in this summer's Friends Provident t20.

The Steelbacks have announced the signing subject to approval from the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

Northamptonshire, 2009 Twenty20 Cup semi-finalists, are hoping the 31-year-old's destructive strokeplay can help them go even further this time round.

Sehwag, top of the International Cricket Council rankings for Test batsmen, has so far played in 76 Tests and 220 one-day internationals in a prolific career.

The opener, whose only previous experience of county cricket came with Northamptonshire's neighbours Leicestershire, said of his new deal: "I am looking forward to the T20 campaign and I am delighted to have joined the county."

Northamptonshire chief Executive Mark Tagg added: "This is absolutely fantastic news for the club and shows everyone that we want to continue our year-on-year improvement.

"We hope this shows our fans we are serious in our ambitions to become the best county cricket club in the country."