Bopara signs up for BBL

England allrounder Ravi Bopara has signed up to play for the Sydney Sixers in this season's Big Bash League. He will replace Chris Tremlett, who is in England's Ashes squad, for the first part of the tournament.

Bopara is part of England's limited-overs teams, putting in a series of impressive displays during the northern summer, but has not played a Test since 2012. He is currently in action in the Dhaka Premier Division and will join up with fellow England batsman Michael Lumb for the Sixers.

"I'm delighted to be joining the Sydney Sixers for the first half of the Big Bash," Bopara said. "The Sixers are famous throughout the cricketing world and I'm privileged to have the opportunity to represent them.

"The team is full of absolutely fantastic talent and I'm looking forward to catching up and playing alongside them when we meet up next month."

Bopara has scored 2850 T20 runs, including one century, at a strike rate of 113.50, as well as taking 88 wickets with his medium pace. He played in all but one of Essex's games in last season's Friends Life t20, as they reached the semi-finals.

"Ravi fills a great role for us at the Sixers, as an allrounder with excellent strokeplay and medium-pace bowling," the Sixers general manager, Dominic Remond, said. "He has played at the highest level of international cricket and will bring great experience to our team."