England’s Bopara to play in South Africa

DURBAN, (Reuters) – England batsman Ravi Bopara has  signed to play for South African franchise the KwaZulu-Natal  (KZN) Dolphins, the team said yesterday.

Bopara, 25, will play in two first-class matches and South  Africa’s domestic limited-overs series, which runs from Oct. 29  to Dec. 10.

The right-handed Bopara was left out of England’s squad for  the Ashes tour but will hope to feature in the limited-overs  matches against Australia after playing in the recent series  against Pakistan.

“We were looking for an experienced player who could add  value to the changeroom,” chief executive of KZN cricket Jesse  Chellan told Reuters.

“Ravi was keen to play in South Africa and we knew he would  want to prepare well ahead of the limited-overs leg of England’s  tour to Australia.”

England batsman Kevin Pietersen will play two first-class  matches for the Dolphins to get match practice before the Ashes  series.