[1]Hard-hitting West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels has signed up a deal to play in the second season of Australia's Big Bash League, their domestic Twenty20 tournament, for Melbourne Renegades. Samuels will join Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan as the second international player for the Renegades.
Fresh from his Man-of-the-Match performance in the ICC World Twenty20 final when he smashed 78 from 56 balls against Sri Lanka, Samuels will like to replicate the same form for the Aussie side.
Melbourne Renegades’ CEO Stuart Coventry said the charismatic Jamaican would fill the pivotal number three role with the bat. "Marlon is a hard-hitting, genuine number three batsman who is an entertainer in every sense of the word," Coventry said. "He seems to fly under the radar when it comes to receiving credit as an allrounder, but his broad skill-set was one of the main reasons we brought him on board?
"Only a few weeks back we saw the West Indies' faith in his bowling pay off when they handed him the ball in the 'super over' against New Zealand and he picked up a wicket to help them win the match," he added.
Renegades Coach Simon Helmot said Samuels would provide further firepower at the top of the order, supporting the early work of openers Aaron Finch and Daniel Harris. "Marlon produced some very impressive performances throughout his World Twenty20 campaign. He'll provide much-needed firepower at the top of the order and brings a certain X-factor to the team," Helmot said.
Samuels' match-winning knock in the WT20 final included six sixes -- three of which came from a single Lasith Malinga over. He finished third in the tournament, scoring 230 runs at a strike rate of 132.94.
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