Chris Morris to join Hampshire for Vitality Blast

South Africa allrounder Chris Morris will join Hampshire for this year's Vitality Blast.

The 32-year-old Morris was this week called into South Africa's World Cup squad as a replacement for fast bowler Anrich Nortje, who was ruled out of the tournament because of a fractured thumb.

Morris will join Hampshire at the end of his World Cup commitments and will be available for the entire Blast season.

A fierce right-arm seamer and destructive middle-order hitter, Morris has made 63 appearances so far for his national side since his debut in a T20I against New Zealand in 2012. He averages 20.50 with the ball in T20Is with a strike rate of 130.39 with the bat.

Playing domestically for the Titans, Morris has also featured in several franchise competitions around the world, including the IPL and CPL, and he played for Surrey in the 2016 Blast.

"I'm really looking forward to joining Hampshire for the Vitality Blast," Morris said. "It's an exciting tournament and it's an exciting summer coming up - I can't wait to get there and play at the Ageas Bowl and express what I can do."

Hampshire director of cricket, Giles White said: "We were delighted when Chris agreed early on to join us for the season. He's a dynamic batsman in the middle-order and a handful with the ball both up front and at the death, so he's a great fit for us and hopefully he'll make a big difference this summer."

Hampshire begin their quest to reach an eighth T20 finals day in 10 years on July 19 when they host Sussex.