Haggett wins second chance at Kent

Kent have signed former Somerset allrounder Calum Haggett. The 22-year-old played three T20 matches for Somerset when they qualified for the Caribbean T20 at the start of 2011 but spent the final couple of months of the 2012 season playing in Kent's second team.

Haggett represented England Under-19s alongside the likes of Joe Root and Jos Buttler, but his development was interrupted when it was discovered during a routine screening at Loughborough at the start of 2010, that he had aortic root dilatation and a leaking heart valve. He was withdrawn from the Under-19s squad destined to tour New Zealand and underwent open-heart surgery.

"Calum has impressed with consistent performances for the second XI last summer, finishing the season with a major contribution against Leicestershire with both bat and ball," Simon Willis, Kent's high performance director, said.

Kent's head coach, former West Indies captain Jimmy Adams, who has just signed a new two-year contract with the club, said: "A large part of what we're trying to do here at Kent is to develop first-class players and we are keen to watch our talented young players grow, and them getting the opportunity to play is part of that. Players that age can go as far as they want; I'm very happy with his signing."