Napier to play for Central Districts

Graham Napier, the Essex allrounder, will play for Central Districts in New Zealand's domestic Twenty20 and one-day competitions. Napier, who represented Wellington last season, becomes the third England player joining the tournament after Owais Shah and Dimitri Mascarenhas had signed on earlier.

"I'm delighted to have been given this opportunity by Central Districts and am looking forward to playing under [coach] Dermot Reeve," Napier was quoted as saying on his website.

Napier was in England's squad for the World Twenty20 earlier this year but was not picked in the XI for any of the matches. He hoped a strong show in New Zealand will help make his case for a starting place in England's team.

"I'm not in the frame right now but am determined to keep going out to play and maintain a good level of performance with the intention of making it to the highest level at some point," he said. "It's a great bonus for me to be wanted by an overseas team during the winter because it gives a feeling of being wanted and good enough to perform at that level."

He leaves for New Zealand on December 26, after a three-month break from the game once county season ends.