Durham Cricket are delighted to announce that Ashton Turner will return to the club for Vitality Blast 2023.

Australia batsman Ashton Turner returns to Durham for the T20 blast after Tristan Stubbs was called up for the South Africa A's tour of Sri Lanka which would rule him out of the tournament. Stubbs' absence spelled happiness for Turner as he is ready to return to the team.

The South African wicketkeeper-batsman was expected to join the Durham squad immediately after the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL); However, his inclusion in the South Africa senior team meant he remained unavailable for Durham.

Turner captained Durham in 2022 but his time at the club was marred by a shoulder injury he sustained on his debut and he managed 124 runs in his eight appearances.

He returns to the UK after an outstanding home season in Australia, winning both the Big Bash and the Marsh Cup as captain and also starring in Western Australia's successful Sheffield Shield campaign.

After the announcement that Turner was moving to Durham, Durham's cricket director Marcus North came forward and said it was great news for the team that Turner had rejoined Durham.

"It's great news to have Ashton returning to Durham this season. He joins us after a stellar season for Perth Scorchers and Western Australia in which his experience and leadership were once again for all to see," Marcus North was quoted as saying.

Turner also reflected on his return to Durham and revealed he's really looking forward to the 2023 campaign.

“I look forward to working with Durham again on this year's Blast campaign. We have an exciting squad and we have high expectations of the group this year. Hopefully we can achieve some success while having fun,” said Turner.