August 23, 2007	Thursday	Sha’aban 9, 1428

WELLINGTON, Aug 22: Chris Harris could be the latest former international to join the Indian Cricket League, with reports from New Zealand that the all-rounder has already reached an agreement with the group.

A New Zealand television station reported that Harris would be joined by Chris Cairns and Nathan Astle, with a fourth unnamed player also set to follow their lead.

TVNZ said Harris had rejected a new deal with his domestic side Canterbury to become the ICL’s first signing from New Zealand. If the move is confirmed, he will further boost the league’s list of international players that includes Brian Lara, Lance Klusener, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Yousuf.

Harris, 37, has not played for New Zealand since 2004-05 but has remained a first-rate contributor in domestic fixtures. Last season he was Canterbury’s top one-day run-scorer with 362 at 60.33 and chipped in with nine wickets, while also averaging 42.80 in a solid first-class campaign.

He was outstanding in the State Twenty20 competition, where he led the competition’s tally with 237 runs from five games at a strike-rate of 160 and claimed seven wickets with an economy rate of 6.45.

The only man to make a State Twenty20 century last summer, Harris was included in New Zealand’s preliminary 30-man squad for the Twenty20 World Championship but was cut from the final line-up.—Agencies