Northants batsman Vasconcelos hails the signing of 'crazy fast bowler' Brandon Glover

Ricardo Vasconcelos says Northants have landed themselves 'a crazy fast bowler' in Netherlands T20 star Brandon Glover.
Brandon Glover was named man of the match as Netherlands beat Papua New Guinea in World T20 Qualifying final in DubaiBrandon Glover was named man of the match as Netherlands beat Papua New Guinea in World T20 Qualifying final in Dubai
Brandon Glover was named man of the match as Netherlands beat Papua New Guinea in World T20 Qualifying final in Dubai

The South African-born paceman has put pen to paper on a three-year deal at the County Ground, opting for the Northants ahead of a clutch of other counties who were interested in his services.

One of the big reasons for that is Glover's friendship with Northants batsman Ricardo Vasconcelos.

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The pair grew up together in South Africa, playing together for SA at youth level, and Vasconcelos believes David Ripley now has a potent bowling weapon at his disposal.

Ricardo Vasconcelos is a childhood friend of new Northants signing Brandon GloverRicardo Vasconcelos is a childhood friend of new Northants signing Brandon Glover
Ricardo Vasconcelos is a childhood friend of new Northants signing Brandon Glover

"Brandon’s a very outgoing character that’s going to not just fit in extremely well but also add a lot to our dressing room," said Vasconcelos.

"He’s definitely a different character but in the best sort of way.

"I would probably describe him as a crazy fast bowler - fiery, competitive, aggressive and a bit awkward at times.”

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Glover arrives at Northants as a bowler with a reputation, having taken more international T20 wickets than any other bowler in 2019.

Brandon Glover played for South African at Under-19 levelBrandon Glover played for South African at Under-19 level
Brandon Glover played for South African at Under-19 level

The right-armer claimed 28 scalps, and was a key man for the Netherlands as they qualified for the World T20 in Australia later this year by winning the qualifying tournament in Dubai last October.

The 22-year-old snared eight wickets in their three wins over United Arab Emirates, Ireland and Papua New Guinea, claiming the man of the match award in the final for his three for 24 against PNG, ripping out the middle order.

Those performances all came under the watchful eye of new Northants bowling coach Chris Liddle, who was part of the Netherlands coaching team for the tournament, and who will travel with them to Australia in October.

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Liddle revealed that Glover was on the County's radar before he joined the club, but that he was able to confirm to head coach Ripley that he was a player well worth pursuing.

"The club already had an eye on Brandon and I just confirmed to them that he’s a player we don’t want to miss out on," said Liddle.

"It’s not often a young fast bowler like him is available, he had a lot of interest from elsewhere too so it’s great that he sees us a place he can develop as a cricketer.

“He has been a pleasure to work with and his competitive nature and his wicket taking ability stood out for me.

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“Brandon’s a young and very exciting bowler with genuine pace and a fantastic attitude.

"He’s a great addition to what is already an exciting bowling group we have here at Northants and gives us a real mix of variety and depth."

Glover joins a seam bowling attack that now looks to have real strength in depth, and he will be competing with the likes of Ben Sanderson, Brett Hutton, Nathan Buck, Gareth Berg, Luke Procter, Blessing Muzarabani and Jack White for a place in the team.

Glover will be available to play in all three formats of the game for Northants.

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He has played first-class cricket and 50-over matches for Boland in South Africa, while all 19 of his T20 appearances have been for Holland.

In first-class cricket, he has only played nine matches, but has claimed 20 wickets at an average of 36.65, while he has played just six times in 50-over cricket, claiming four wickets at 49.50.

His record for the Netherlands on T20 internationals is very impressive, having claimed 28 wickets at an average of just 16 and a strike rate of a wicket every 13.9 balls.