English county side Hampshire have signed one West Indies fast bowler to replace another after confirming Monday that Tino Best had signed a short-term contract following the ankle injury suffered by Fidel Edwards.
Surgery now beckons for Edwards, who fractured his ankle during a pre-match football kick-about during Hampshire’s First Division draw away to county champions Yorkshire at Headingley last week. Edwards’s setback was one of the more bizarre blows that have affected an injury-hit Hampshire this season, with newly-signed England paceman Reece Topley breaking his hand while batting. “Unfortunately Fidel has had a serious break and will have to undergo surgery on Tuesday,” said Hampshire director of cricket Giles White.
“It’s a real shame for him, he has been unbelievable since he has been with us and has become an extremely popular member of the club. “We will support him through his recovery and look forward to having him back in a Hampshire shirt as soon as possible. He is a class act and the team will miss him,” the former Hampshire batsman added.
The 34-year-old Best, a veteran of 25 Tests, joins Hampshire having last played for the West Indies in a Twenty20 international in January 2014.
A fiery competitor, four years ago Best entered the record books when he made 95 against England at Edgbaston-the then highest score by a No 11 batsman in a Test match, although that record was subsequently eclipsed by Australian Ashton Agar’s 98, also against England, at Trent Bridge in 2013.
White said he was looking forward to having Best on board. “He trained with us in Barbados during pre-season and looked good. It has come about at short notice, initially on a short term contract.
“He seems excited about the opportunity and very motivated to do well; we look forward to seeing how things develop.” Hampshire have a long history of recruiting West Indies players, with two of the team’s finest all-time fast bowlers, Andy Roberts and Malcolm Marshall, both enjoying stints with the south coast county.
