Cricket: Astle poised to sign contract for Big Apple Twenty20 league

Nathan Astle. Photo / Brett Phibbs.

Former New Zealand international Nathan Astle says he will ink a deal with a new Twenty20 cricket league in the United States soon.

"It is very, very close. Within the next few days, I will put pen to paper," Astle said in a radio interview yesterday.

"There is still some toing and froing [with the contract] but... it's just a matter of getting things sorted ..."

Astle said he had been approached by American Premier League organisers through his agent about two months ago about the proposed six-team competition to be played in a baseball stadium in New York in October.

The event has not been sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Astle is one of eight former internationals linked with the Premium World 11 for the event.

Former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie and batsman Damien Martyn have confirmed they had signed.

Other players reportedly on the APL list for the World team are South Africans Lance Klusener and Nantie Hayward, England's Graeme Hick and Adam Hollioake and Sri Lankan batsman Marvan Atapattu.

The tournament is being organised by entrepreneur Jay Mir, who has targeted players banned from ICC-sanctioned competitions because they have played for the rebel Indian Cricket League.

New Zealand cricket great Sir Richard Hadlee, who was a national selector until last year, is to be an executive consultant for the US league.

There will be teams from Pakistan, India, West Indies and Bangladesh, a world team, and an American team.

Astle, who retired in 2007 after 81 tests and 223 one-day internationals for the Black Caps, said regardless of whether the APL was sanctioned or not, bringing the sport to the US would be a good thing.

- NZPA