2:10pm Tuesday 19th January 2010
By Bruce Talbot
All-rounder Dwayne Smith is returning to Sussex for this year's Twenty20 Cup defence.
Smith, 26, will be the county's second overseas player in the tournament alongside Yasir Arafat providing he secures a work permit.
That should be a formality because Smith has been recalled to the West Indies squad after an absence of three years for the forthcoming series in Australia.
The start of the Twenty20 Cup coincides with West Indies' home series against South Africa so Sussex will sign a short-term like-for-like replacement for Smith to cover the first five games of the tournament which start on June 1 with a repeat of last year's final against Somerset.
Smith was the catalyst as Sussex won the competition for the first time last year, scoring 338 runs including 57 off 26 balls in the final and taking eight wickets.
He said: “It’s great to be returning to my home away from home and I’m looking forward to representing Sussex in a big way next year.
"My time so far at Hove has been hugely enjoyable and I believe that my cricket has benefited an enormous amount from the coaching and team spirit that is so evident at the county."
A game-changing player like Smith is key to Sussex's hopes of a successful Twenty20 defence as skipper Mike Yardy acknowledged.
He said: “Dwayne played a huge part in our Twenty20 success last season and it is very important to get a player who can change the direction of the game like he can.”
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