Otago sign Mascarenhas for one-day duties

The journeyman Dimitri Mascarenhas, the only Englishman to appear at the Indian Premier League, will play for Otago in New Zealand's domestic one-day tournaments in 2008-09. Mascarenhas was born in London, grew up in Australia and developed into an England limited-overs representative through his all-round exploits at Hampshire.

A big-hitting batsman, economical bowler and agile fielder, Mascarenhas' skills have been in demand and he was picked up by the Rajasthan Royals franchise for the opening season of the IPL. Mascarenhas, who has appeared in 11 ODIs and 10 Twenty20s, will be able to use his stint with Otago to stay in touch ahead of England's one-day series against West Indies next March.

Otago are the defending champions in the State Shield one-day competition and they will also have Mascarenhas for the Twenty20 campaign. "Playing cricket in New Zealand has always been something I've wanted to do as I love the country and Otago seemed an obvious destination with such a talented playing list that will be looking for success," Mascarenhas said. "After my experiences playing ODI and Twenty20 cricket for England and in the IPL with the Rajasthan Royals, I really feel like I have something to offer in terms of leadership and experience."

"Dimitri is a dynamic cricketer with the ability to win a match on his own," Ross Dykes, Otago Cricket's chief executive, said. "His aggressive approach to the game mirrors the philosophies of the Volts and, like Brendon McCullum, he is a cricketer who can change the course of a game in a very short space of time."