History-maker Brett Randell is hoping to find his way into the Vitality Blast with an overseas deal later this month.

New Zealander Randell became the first player in 254 years of first-class cricket to take five wickets in five balls for Central Districts in March, decimating the top order of Northern Districts in Napier. 

The 30-year-old is currently playing Huddersfield League cricket for Honley but is keen to take advantage of counties losing their current imports due to injury or international calls.

A versatile bowler across formats, he was a domestic Twenty20 winner in New Zealand last year, returning figures of 4-0-27-2 in the final against Canterbury. 

Two years ago, he was a late-season signing for Somerset, featuring in their epic win over Surrey in Taunton, and his return to the county game from the club scene would replicate that of fellow countryman Zak Foulkes, who was snapped up by Warwickshire in 2024 while over here playing for Lytham in the Liverpool competition.

Somerset and Gloucestershire deal with Aussie absences 

Australia’s white-ball tours of Pakistan and Bangladesh, which run from late May until late June, have left counties mulling over their options. 

Reigning Blast champions Somerset will be without fast bowler Riley Meredith for six matches while Gloucestershire will also have to do without Liam Scott, the uncapped South Australia all-rounder, for a spell.

Spinners on the move 

Kent have acted to cover the loss to injury of South African spinning all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy by recruiting English left-arm wrist-spinner Jake Lintott on an all-format deal from Warwickshire that runs until the Blast final in mid-July.

Lintott will be leaving Edgbaston at the end of the season and this stint allows the 33-year-old, who has an economy rate under eight, to impress and perhaps win a longer deal.

Warwickshire have decided to clear the decks when it comes to their spin department after losing Danny Briggs, the most prolific bowler in Blast history, and Moeen Ali at the end of 2025. They were in talks with New Zealand’s leg-spinning all-rounder Peter Younghusband, before the eye-catching capture of Pakistan off-spinner Usman Tariq, who will remain in Birmingham for the Hundred.

Daily Mail Sport understands Muthusamy, currently sidelined with a knee issue, still plans to join the Spitfires later in the summer, but the club have scoured the South African market for a replacement and hope to field up-and-coming T20 star Dian Forrester in the second overseas slot alongside the returning Australian Tom Rogers.

Derbyshire's twin twirlers  

Meanwhile, Derbyshire are excited by the prospect of pairing Pakistan’s Sufyan Moqim, another left-arm wrist spinner, with Afghanistan mystery man Allah Ghazanfar for up to half of their 12 group matches. Their all-format Australian batsman Caleb Jewell will play when one of the other two is unavailable. 

Moqim was the leading wicket-taker at the recent Pakistan Super League with 22 victims, earning the player of the tournament award and helping Peshawar Zalmi to the title.

Under head coach Ottis Gibson, Zalmi used Moqim, who spins the ball hard, possesses a deceptive googly and provides great control, almost exclusively through the middle overs of innings. And Derbyshire view the 23-year-old as the perfect foil for Ghazanfar, 20, who is comfortable as an operator in the power play period and took 16 wickets in 14 outings at a miserly rate in his first spell at Derby last season.

Ghazanfar has been selected for Major League Cricket but United States visa restrictions mean he is almost certainly going to be available for longer than his current six-match Twenty20 over contract in the Midlands.

Sussex seamer Hudson-Prentice in demand

An overflowing treatment room, including one-time England international Pat Brown, who has a shoulder issue, and teenager Harry Moore, out for the season with a recurring stress fracture, means Derbyshire are short on seamers as they attempt to improve a bottom-of-the-group finish 12 months ago.

They will use the loan market to bolster their squad, with Sussex’s Fynn Hudson-Prentice – a bowler accustomed to being thrown the new ball and returning at the death – known to be of interest.

Along with Sussex colleague Danny Lamb, Hudson-Prentice, 30, was made available by the crisis club at the start of this campaign, but has been an ever-present in the Championship thus far.

A temporary switch to his former club, though, could potentially lead to a permanent move if things go well, with Sussex’s financial position meaning they cannot offer deals to those out of contract this October. Top-order batter Tom Clark will also move onto the open market on June 1.

Leicestershire are another club to have shown interest in all-rounder Hudson-Prentice as they look to cover their own decimated attack.

The Foxes have had little luck with overseas recruitment this year, either, but after the marquee signing of South Africa slow left-armer Keshav Maharaj fell through and Australian left-hander Kurtis Patterson succumbed to injury before they could announce him as a replacement for Peter Handscomb, the addition of New Zealand top-order batter Nick Kelly provides them with some T20 nous. He recently captained his country in the format.