Short signs for Surrey after shining with Durham in Blast

Surrey have signed Australia batsman D'Arcy Short and Pakistan leg-spinner Shadab Khan for the T20 Blast in 2020.

Short, who has also played in the Indian Premier League andBigBash,wasabigsuccess for Durham this year.

HereplacesAaronFinchas Surrey's overseas batsman for the competition, after hitting 483 runs in 12 innings for Durham in this year's T20 Blast.

The 29-year-old has appeared in 24 limited overs games for Australia.

Hewassignedfor£125,000 by Trent Rockets in The Hundred draft last Sunday.

He said: "I enjoyed my time in the Blast (this year).

"To have the opportunity to come back in 2020 and play in front of full houses at one of the best grounds in the world is brilliant."

Shadab, 21, has played 35

T20internationalsand43onedayersforhiscountryandtook ninewicketsinsevenmatches at the 2019 World Cup.

Shadab has been vice-captainofIslamabadUnitedinthe Pakistan Super League and also featured in Australia's Big Bash.

Surrey won the inaugural T20 county competition in 2003,buthavenotreachedthe finalsince2013,whentheylost to Northants Steelbacks.

*ECB chief executive Tom Harrison insists that The Hundred will help protect other formats of the game.

"The Hundred is all about growing the game of cricket inthiscountryandprotecting the things we value the most," he said.

"It's about protecting Test match cricket, it's about protecting four-day Championship cricket.

“It'salsoaboutgettingkids playing much more cricket at school.

"This is engaging at a different level with a completely new community in this country and that is something we should embrace and celebrate.

"It is not a threat to the county game.

“Itisamuchgreaterthreat to rest on our laurels and say everything is rosy in our garden and things will be fine if we keep ticking along as we are."

The Cricket World Cup this summer was highly successful,whereahugenumber of spectators bought tickets for the first time.

Harrison insists that the Hundredwilltryandreplicate the atmosphere of the World Cup and thus appeal to those fans.