McKenzie helps out Hampshire

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Neil McKenzie will help fill the void left by the injured Michael Carberry after agreeing to stay with Hampshire for another six weeks.

The South African batsman, who was the club’s leading run-scorer in the LV= County Championship last season, arrived at the Ageas Bowl for a third time to play in the Royals’ Friends Life t20 South Group campaign.

The 36-year-old was due to return to his homeland until the FLt20 quarter-final with Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on July 25, but has prolonged his time on the south coast to replace Carberry, who is occupying the sidelines with a knee injury.

McKenzie is set to go straight into Hampshire’s squad for tomorrow’s return to championship action against Yorkshire, who he and Carberry combined to put on a third-wicket stand of 523, the ninth-highest partnership in the history of first-class cricket, last year.

Neil McKenzie has agreed to extend his stay at the Ageas Bowl to help Hampshire overcome the loss of injured opener Michael Carberry

McKenzie told the Hampshire website: “I'm currently covering for Carbs at the moment, as he's down with an injury but he'll be back in a couple of weeks.

"I was almost going to go home after the Twenty20 and then come back for the quarters and semis but now I'm staying so I'm looking forward to it and it's nice to play some cricket and get stuck into it.

"Hampshire have got quite a few exciting youngsters but, when one or two of the more experienced guys get injured, you want some cover for that.

"I think they're fighting for all competitions at the moment and at this juncture there's a lot to play for. I'm definitely here for the next month-and-a-half and we're going to take it from there."

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