Saltires sign Beukes to bolster batting

The Scottish Saltires have signed Jonathan Beukes, a South African middle-order batsman from the Eagles franchise, to bolster the side ahead of the their final National League campaign. He will join Yasir Arafat, the Pakistani allrounder, as the second overseas star for the Saltires.

The original plan for the Saltires was to stick with just the one overseas player, in an attempt to bring through young Scottish talent ahead of the ICC Trophy in Ireland during July. The top five teams from this tournament qualify for the 2007 World Cup in West Indies.

But Andy Moles, Scotland's new coach, has decided that the signing of Beukes, a left-hander who has averaged over 50 during the recent South African domestic season, will add valuable strength and experience to the side while also helping to bring through the youngsters, especially in the batting department, which has only fired sporadically during the last couple of seasons.

Roddy Smith, chief executive of Cricket Scotland, told The Press Association: "The combination of a bowling all-rounder like Arafat with a mainstream left-handed bat like Beukes will, I'm sure, help the Saltires to be as competitive as possible."

The Saltires begin their National League campaign against Durham, at the Grange, on May 1. From next summer they will compete in a revamped C&G Trophy.