Stuart Broad signs contract with Hobart Hurricanes for BBL 2016-17

art Broad, the 30-year-old England pacer, has been snapped up by Hobart Hurricanes for the Big Bash League (BBL) 2016-17, the franchise announced on Sunday (August 21).

The mainstay of England's pace attack might play the entire duration of the tournament as the fifth and final Test of the series against India is slated to end on December 20 and Hurricanes' first game begins only three days later.

Damien Wright, the head coach of Hurricanes, said that Broad's experience allied with his skill would further bolster an already well stocked pace attack, consisting of Shaun Tait, Jake Reed and Sam Rainbird. "Broad has an incredible record in all three formats and his knowledge of the game overall will be a huge asset for our bowling group going forward," Wright told cricket.com.au.

"He will give us great firepower with the ball and will be a fantastic inclusion into our pace attack joining (fast-bowlers) Shaun Tait, Jake Reed and Sam Rainbird. We now have two of the biggest names in our game playing for the Hobart Hurricanes and our members and fans should be extremely excited for BBL 06."

It has to be noted that Broad hasn't been a regular member of England's limited-overs sides in recent times, having played just two One-Day Internationals (ODIs) since the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup. He has also not played a Twenty20 International (T20I) since England slipped to an ignominious defeat against Netherlands in the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 in Chittagong. However, Broad, who made his white-ball debut for his country against Pakistan in 2006, has an impressive record in abridged versions of the game. He has snared 178 ODI wickets and 65 scalps in 56 T20Is.

"It's tricky because I haven't played any white-ball cricket," Broad had said in June. "I think I saw a quote saying this squad had been picked on merit and I can't argue with that at all because it's not as if I've gone out there and taken a certain amount of white-ball wickets. I'm going to have to find a way to do that.

"I'm going to look at scheduling, whether it's home or abroad, to try to play some white-ball cricket and there might be a decent opportunity after Christmas this year because there's not a lot of Test cricket then until I think July. The only way I'll get back is by playing white-ball cricket and that's the only way my skills will improve, too."