Brownlie to move to Northern Districts

Batsman Dean Brownlie will move from Canterbury to Northern Districts in a bid to target a New Zealand Test opening spot. Brownlie has batted in the middle order in his 14 Tests, the last of which came against England in May 2013.

"I've been seeking an opportunity to open the batting and am very much looking forward to this new challenge at ND," Brownlie said. "They had a great season last year. I am hopeful I can be a big contributor to help ensure we are challenging for titles in all three forms again. The Knights have a large pool of talent and combined with strong leadership, it's a great time to be part of the Association."

Brownlie turned out for Canterbury in 35 first-class matches since making his debut in February 2010. He made 2635 runs for his side at an average of 46.22 with six hundreds but none of those runs came at the top of the order, with Peter Fulton and Tom Latham opening the batting for Canterbury.

"This hasn't just happened, opening has been something I've been thinking of for about 18 months, " Brownlie had told Fairfax Media earlier. "I want to play for New Zealand and it looks like the Black Caps have positions three, four and five pretty well sewn up and I still think I have a lot to offer. It's not just the opening thing, though.

"I've spoken to a few people I trust and we worked out one of the things that I was missing was a home base. I've got a place in the Mount and that should be more stable for me."

Brownlie is relocating to Mount Maunganui and will join his new side after touring England and Scotland with the New Zealand A team in July and August.

"We are delighted to welcome Dean Brownlie to the Knights and the ND family," James Pamment, the Northern Districts coach, said. "He's a player of international quality, and his hard-working approach and desire to reclaim his place in the Black Caps fits very well with our philosophies. He will be a very good addition to our squad."