Yorkshire have signed Australia Ashes quick Jhye Richardson for the first six rounds of the 2026 County Championship.
Richardson will be available for Yorkshire's County Championship fixtures until the middle of May. However, it is unlikely he will play every one of the sixes matches he has signed for, as Cricket Australia will manage his workload as a nationally contracted player. Richardson had shoulder surgery earlier this year for an injury which kept him out of international action for almost 12 months.
After recovering from that surgery, Richardson returned to Australia's Test side for the Boxing Day Ashes Test, taking two wickets in the nine overs he bowled across the two-day long game. Since then, he had decent returns in the BBL for Perth Scorchers and took 4-54 against Tasmania in his returning Sheffield Shield match.
Richardson is the third Australia to sign for Yorkshire over this winter, after fellow Western Australians Sam Whiteman and Andrew Tye registered as local players.
Analysis – a boost for Yorkshire, a dilemma for the ECB
Richardson's signing appears significant on several fronts. One, it's a big get for Yorkshire. Having avoided relegation on the final day of last season, adding a Test calibre pacer to their ranks is a massive boost for the early rounds of the season. Yorkshire have already signed Logan van Beek for the first half of the season, forming a re-vamped pace attack.
In a statement on Jhye's signing, Yorkshire general manager Gavin Hamilton said: "Getting Jhye is a huge boost for us, and his quality underlines our ambition to build a squad capable of seriously competing in the County Championship. He's a proven player and we're thrilled to have secured him.
"His skillsets are ones suited to English conditions, and he can make things happen with that ability to push his speed into the high 80s."
The signing also presents and interesting tension for the ECB. It was reported last month the board were ready to explore ways to prevent Australians playing in the County Championship as preparation for Ashes series. The move came in the wake of Ben Stokes saying he "never understood" why Australia players were allowed to play county cricket ahead of big series in England.
"You never see it anywhere else in the world," Stokes said. "I don’t think Australia would sign a visa for one of our lads playing Sheffield Shield games before an Ashes.”
Before the 2023 Ashes, Steve Smith played three Championship matches for Sussex, while Marnus Labuschagne has played for Glamorgan for the last five consecutive seasons.
The outcomes of the ECB's investigation into the failings that went into England still yet to be released, but are set to be wide-ranging.
Yorkshire will play their first match of the 2026 County Championship on April 3 against Glamorgan in Cardiff.
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