Watson returns to Hampshire

Shane Watson, the Queensland allrounder, has been confirmed as Hampshire's overseas player for the Twenty20 Cup. It will be Watson's second spell with the club and during his previous stint he helped them win the 2005 Friends Provident Trophy.

Watson is one of the players up for the second Indian Premier League auction on Tuesday, but that won't impact on his Hampshire stay which will commence after the tournament in India has finished in early June.

"[Shane] was an instant hit with members and fans of Hampshire when he was here in 2004 and I, for one, am very excited at the prospect of seeing him here again this summer," Rod Bransgrove, the Hampshire chairman, said. "It is fair to say that we have under-performed in the Twenty20 Cup so far, and we have been saying for a while that 2008 will see us focusing more and more on this exciting competition.

"Our signing of such a fantastic talent as Watson shows our clear intent to compete hard to be in the finals day that we are so proudly hosting in July."

Watson has been through another injury-hit domestic season in Australia as he continued to struggle with hamstring problems and he hasn't played international cricket since the ICC World Twenty20. In seven Pura Cup matches he finished with 439 runs at 33.76 and a top score of 190, although he managed just nine wickets.

He is currently one of three overseas players on Hampshire's books although Shane Warne, their captain, won't be available until the latter part of the season due to his IPL and poker commitments.

Shane Bond was signed for the first two months of the season but his participation is now in major doubt after he joined the Indian Cricket League. He is unlikely to gain the required No Obligation Certificate which will allow him to play.