Yorkshire CCC a drawcard as New Zealand ace signs

Sears is Yorkshire’s fourth overseas signing of the off-season after Will O’Rourke, another New Zealand fast bowler, and the Australian duo of Will Sutherland, the all-rounder, and pace bowler Jordan Buckingham.

Sears, 27, will be available from the second County Championship match onwards, against Worcestershire at Headingley starting on April 11, and although the club has not said how long his stint will last, it is thought he will be available for six of the first seven Championship games.

“To attract such talented bowlers like Ben to the club is testament to the lure of Yorkshire across the globe,” said Hamilton.

“Ben is an exciting talent and will provide the squad with an extra element that will be crucial this coming season.

"We’re thrilled he has signed and look forward to welcoming him to Headingley in April.”

That “extra element” will be, first and foremost, Sears’s pace, which has drawn comparison with the ex-Yorkshire and New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson.

Sears bowls close to 90mph and is renowned for getting bounce and skid off the surface.

That could prove especially useful at Headingley, where result pitches have been hard to come by recently.

Sears’s ability brought a Test debut in the corresponding week of last year, against Australia in Christchurch, where he took four second innings wickets.

That is his only Test appearance after a knee injury then kept him out of series in Sri Lanka and India, followed by the three-match home series with England before Christmas.

Sears was also ruled out of the Champions Trophy that ended on Sunday with defeat for New Zealand in the final against India in Dubai, suffering a minor hamstring tear on the eve of the tournament.

However, it is hoped that he will feature in New Zealand’s white-ball fixtures at home to Pakistan, which start later this week.

Sears, who has played 17 T20 internationals and two one-day internationals, said that he was looking forward to representing Yorkshire.

“I can’t wait to get over to Headingley and start playing with the guys,” said a man who has made 106 appearances across the three formats, taking 166 wickets.

“Some of the signings made already are exciting, and I hope I can add to that.

“It’s important to set the tone early in any season.

“We have some big games during that first block, and I’ll be ready to get the team off to the best start possible.”

Sears will add depth during a challenging beginning to the campaign, which sees counties play seven Championship matches during the first eight weeks - half of the four-day season.

Buckingham will play in games four to seven inclusive, while Sutherland will appear in matches eight and nine, in addition to the whole of the 14-match T20 group stage.

O’Rourke will play the first eight T20 games and his stay could be extended depending on international commitments.

As ever, the situation is more complex than a particularly fiendish Sudoku puzzle, but the club is delighted to have got Sears, a player of some potential.

Anthony McGrath, the Yorkshire head coach, said: “Ben is a real talent who can get some extra bounce when he bowls.

“In that early section of the year when pitches can be greener or slower, he’ll be a real handful, and I’m excited to get him over and start working with him.”