Bears sign Australia all-rounder Maxwell for Blast

Glenn Maxwell hit the winning runs for Australia when they were crowned T20 world champions by beating New Zealand in the 2021 final

Birmingham Bears have signed Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell for the 2023 T20 Blast.

He will join the Bears when the Indian Premier League season ends in May.

"To get a player of this stature is something that really excites us," Bears first team coach Mark Robinson told BBC Radio WM.

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"We're really excited to have somebody with his global reputation but also somebody that can help influence our younger players and help us grow as a team.

"He's absolutely full-on, he's a competitor, and with the bat, he wins matches - he doesn't take a backward step."

Big-hitter Maxwell becomes Bears' second overseas signing for the Blast, with Pakistan pace bowler Hassan Ali also committing to spending his summer at Edgbaston.

The Bears, who reached the quarter-finals of last year's competition, setting a then record total of 261-2 during the group stages, have also recruited England all-rounder Moeen Ali and a second all-rounder from Worcestershire -Ed Barnard - during the close season.

Maxwell, who will play for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL for a third successive season, is close to returning to action after breaking his leg in an accident at a friend's birthday party in November.

He has played 355 T20 innings with an average of 27.79 and strike rate of 151.07 and holds the record for the highest score in the Australian Big Bash with 154 off 64 balls for Melbourne Stars in January 2022.

"It's an amazing signing, he's one of the fastest scorers in world cricket, and I'm sure he'll be a favourite with Bears fans," Robinson added to the Bears' website.

"He's the perfect T20 batter for us: he's a power hitter with a fantastic range of shots which makes it hard for opposing sides to set fields, plus he's an outstanding fielder."