Somerset sign Australian batter Bancroft

Cameron Bancroft was the leading run scorer in this year's Sheffield Shield in Australia

Somerset have signed Australian batter Cameron Bancroft for the first four fixtures of the upcoming County Championship season.

He was the leading run-scorer in this year's Sheffield Shield with 945 and hit the winning boundary in the final for Western Australia.

Somerset start their campaign at home to Warwickshire on 6 April.

Bancroft captained Durham in 2019 and had a second spell with the club two years later.

He is hoping for a place in Australia's squad for this summer's Ashes series in England, having made the last of his 10 Test appearances in 2019.

"With a couple of our batters currently recovering from injury, we saw this as an opportunity to solidify our batting line up at a time of the year when runs will be at a premium," said director of cricket Andy Hurry.

"During his recent spells within county cricket he has proved himself to be extremely proficient in English conditions and we are looking forward to adding his quality to our dressing room for those initial Championship matches."