Leicestershire sign Gareth Delany for T20 Blast after losing services of Janneman Malan

Leicestershire have signed Ireland allrounder Gareth Delany as an overseas player for the upcoming Vitality Blast. The club had previously learned that South Africa opener Janneman Malan would not be able to appear for them this summer due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.

The move for Malan, who scored an unbeaten hundred in his second ODI against Australia earlier this year, was confounded by visa and travel restrictions, with South Africans currently requiring government approval to leave the country. Leicestershire have agreed with Malan to defer his contract until 2021, subject to clearances.

"We exhausted every avenue in trying to get Janneman into the country but issues out of our control have gone against us on this occasion," Leicestershire's chief executive Sean Jarvis said.

"It is a big blow for us because everyone was looking forward to Janneman playing for us. We would love to see Janneman become a Fox in the future and wish him the best over the next few months."

Jarvis added that the club had "identified some targets" and the signing of Delany was announced 24 hours later. Delany, 23, a hard-hitting batsman and legspinner, has played 28 times for Ireland in white-ball internationals, and opened the batting in the recent ODI series against England.

"I'm really excited to be playing in the Blast," Delany said. "I was really unsure if I'd ever have the opportunity to play in county cricket, so I'm over the moon to be playing with Leicestershire and very grateful to both the club and Cricket Ireland for this chance. It'll be a challenging environment, but one from which I am hoping to further develop my game."

Leicestershire's head coach, Paul Nixon, added: "Gareth is a talented young allrounder we have been keeping an eye on for a while. We have been looking for a top-order batsman and a legspin bowler, as they are worth their weight in gold in T20 cricket, and Gareth ticks both boxes for us.

"He is young, hungry to do well, and has good experience for a young player so will be a great addition to our squad."