Cricket: Northern sign top Twenty20 batsman

Northern Districts have scored a cricket coup, signing Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan for next season's domestic Twenty20 championship.

Dilshan was the highest runs scorer at the Twenty20 World Cup in England, averaging 52 runs an innings at a strike rate of 144.

In the IPL in South Africa he was the fifth-highest run scorer, averaging 42 runs an innings, with an impressive strike rate of 122.

"Dilshan is arguably the best Twenty20 batsman going in world cricket at the moment," ND Cricket chief executive David Cooper said yesterday.

"It is a significant move for us to sign him and have him coming out to New Zealand.

"We believe that his presence will assist our team and our players in much the same way Andrew Strauss did in early 2008.

"I have no doubt New Zealand crowds will enjoy watching him, too."

Dilshan is playing for Sri Lanka in their test series against Pakistan, where they hold a 1-0 lead.

- NZPA