Finn Allen: Explosive batsman joins Yorkshire CCC for T20 Blast campaign

Allen, 22, is the third overseas player Yorkshire have recruited for the tournament and will dovetail with the Pakistan duo Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf.

As they seek to win the T20 for the first time in their history - and to reach Finals Day for only the third time - Yorkshire have left no stone unturned in their mission to succeed.

Khan, the 23-year-old leg-spinning all-rounder, is available for the first five games in the 14-match group stage and also for the final six fixtures.

Rauf, the 28-year-old fast bowler, is also available for the first five group games in addition to the opening six County Championship matches.

Yorkshire will have Allen - who last summer represented Lancashire in the 20-over tournament - for games six-to-14 in another powerful statement of intent by the club.

“I’m really looking forward to returning to county cricket for the upcoming Blast,” said Allen, who is currently playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League along with David Willey, the Yorkshire T20 captain.

“I really enjoyed my first foray into the competition last season and am hungry to contribute to a successful campaign for Yorkshire.

“As luck would have it, I am currently spending a fair bit of time at RCB with David Willey, so it’s great to be able to establish that relationship prior to arriving.”

Darren Gough, Yorkshire’s interim managing director of cricket, commented: “We have brought in Finn Allen who is an explosive batsman and very good young player.

“Our signings to date will give us some excellent options in the Blast and I am thrilled to be able to add these talented players to an already exciting squad.”

Allen averages 32 in all T20 cricket and has a strike-rate of 175.

The Auckland-born right-hander, who has played six T20 internationals, made 13 appearances for Lancashire in last season’s Blast, scoring 399 runs at an average of 33.25.