Somerset sign Australian Cooper

Somerset have signed Australian batsman Tom Cooper for the whole of the 2015 season. The county were looking to add a batsman to their squad following the departure of Nick Compton.

Cooper, 28, was born in New South Wales to a Dutch mother and will use his European passport to play for Somerset as a non-overseas player.

Cooper only applied for a Dutch passport to make travelling to Europe easier but his talent was recognised by the oranje and he represented Netherlands in 23 ODIs, averaging 48.80 and 15 T20s. His brother Ben also represented Netherlands.

But, with a solid record behind him in both first-class and one-day cricket, Cooper is now targeting playing for the country of his birth and hopes a stint at Somerset can help.

"I am really very pleased to have signed to play for Somerset," Cooper said. "I have always wanted to play county cricket in England and have heard a lot about Somerset so I am looking forward to getting going in April."

Cooper is currently in a steady Sheffield Shield season with 314 runs at 34.88, including a century,

Matt Maynard, Somerset director of cricket added: "It is really good news that Tom has joined us for this season. He is a highly regarded batsman with a really good track record in all forms of the game and will be a great addition to our squad."