Scott Styris joins Hobart Hurricanes

The New Zealand batsman Scott Styris will play in the Big Bash League this season as the second international player for the Hobart Hurricanes. Styris, 37, retired from international cricket last year but has remained a useful Twenty20 player in domestic competitions around the world, having played for two IPL franchises, the Sylhet Royals in Bangladesh and this year for Sussex in England's county competition.

The Hurricanes were impressed by his form for Sussex, which included a 37-ball century last month, equalling the third-fastest hundred in T20 history. Styris said he was looking forward to joining the Hurricanes, having not played in Australia's T20 competition before.

"I'm enjoying my involvement in franchise T20 cricket around the world and have always enjoyed the challenge of playing in Australia against Australians," Styris said. "The prospect of competing in this major Aussie domestic competition excites me greatly."

The England batsman Owais Shah is the other international player on the Hurricanes' list for this season, and they have now signed 16 men. All teams must finalise their squads of 18 by the end of November, and the Sydney Thunder have added two more to their list with the signings of Usman Khawaja and Chris Rogers.

Khawaja was part of the Thunder group last summer but this will be the first exposure to the BBL for Rogers, who was last year overlooked for a deal. Rogers, 34, continues to pile up the runs in county cricket and for Victoria, and the Thunder hope that in addition to his scoring he will be a valuable mentor for the younger players.

"Chris is an exceptional batsman with an outstanding first-class record," Shane Duff, the Thunder coach, said. "He is the type of proven player we lacked last season and he will play an important role in our line-up."