Kent Cricket have confirmed that Australia quick Xavier Bartlett will be joining the Kent Spitfires for the first eight matches of the 2024 Vitality Blast.

This month, the 25-year-old was named as Brisbane Heat’s Player of the Tournament in BBL|13, a tournament that the Gabba-based franchise won. Bartlett finished as the tournament’s top wicket-taker, taking 20 wickets at an average of only 14.70.

He received his Australia IT20 debut cap on 13 February from a former Kent Spitfire, Marcus Stoinis. He took the wickets of both West Indies openers, Johnson Charles & Kyle Mayers, in his first innings with the ball as an Australia International T20 cricketer.

Other overseas stars, Bartlett’s compatriot Wes Agar & South African bowling all-rounder Beyers Swanepoel, will also both be available for Kent in the Vitality Blast. Tournament rules allow three overseas players in a side’s squad, with two permitted in a Playing XI.

Kent’s Director of Cricket, Simon Cook, said: “We’ve been working extremely hard with Cricket Australia to ensure that Xavier can join us in some capacity this season, and we’re really pleased to have secured his services for eight matches of our T20 campaign.

“He is hot property at the moment and fully deserves his new central contract with Australia. I know that Spitfires supporters around the world will be extremely excited that the BBL’s top wicket-taker this Winter will be pulling on a Kent shirt this June.”