Morris pens the deal with Hampshire a day after he got drafted into the South African World Cup squad © Getty

Proteas pacer Chris Morris was signed by Hampshire for T20 Blast 2019 on Wednesday (May 8), a day after he was drafted into South Africa's World Cup squad as a replacement for Anrich Nortje (who sustained a thumb injury). Morris will be available for Hampshire immediately after his World Cup commitments and will represent them in the T20 Blast that starts in July. He's also the first overseas player signed by Hampshire this season.

Chris Morris is a part of Delhi Capitals in the ongoing IPL and has enjoyed much success for the franchise in the last few years. However, his numbers haven't been impressive in IPL 2019 as the pacer has proven to be expensive in death overs. He has also struggled to chip in with his batting contributions, therefore Delhi have opted for other overseas players instead.

On being selected by Hampshire for the T20 Blast, Morris said: "I'm really looking forward to joining Hampshire for the Vitality Blast. It's an exciting tournament and it's an exciting summer coming up, I can't wait to get there and play at the Ageas Bowl and express what I can do."

Morris's knack of picking wickets and playing pivotal knocks in the lower middle order makes him a handy all-rounder and that's what Giles White had to say about the signing of the South African. "We were delighted when Chris agreed early on to join us for the season. He's a dynamic batsman in the middle-order and a handful with the ball both up front and at the death, so he's a great fit for us and hopefully he'll make a big difference this summer," said White (Director of Hampshire County Cricket).