Australian bowler Xavier Bartlett will play eight games for Kent Spitfires in this summer’s Vitality Blast

Kent have confirmed that Xavier Bartlett will feature for them in this summer’s Vitality Blast.

The 25-year-old Australian bowler had been lined up to feature for Kent in both the Blast and County Championship during the first half of the season.

But Cricket Australia blocked Bartlett from playing four-day cricket after his emergence on the international scene in recent months.

However, Bartlett will now join the Spitfires for the first eight matches of the Blast.

Kent director of cricket Simon Cook said: “We’ve been working extremely hard with Cricket Australia to ensure that Xavier can join us in some capacity this season, and we’re really pleased to have secured his services for eight matches of our T20 campaign.

“He is hot property at the moment and fully deserves his new central contract with Australia. I know that Spitfires supporters around the world will be extremely excited that the BBL’s top wicket-taker this winter will be pulling on a Kent shirt this June.”

Bartlett helped Brisbane Heat win BBL 13, taking 20 wickets at an average of 14.70. Kent’s T20 captain Sam Billings featured alongside him for the majority of that tournament.

He then made his IT20 debut for Australia in February against the West Indies.

Kent will also have Wes Agar and South African all-rounder Beyers Swanepoel available for the Blast with the Spitfires allowed to pick any two of the three overseas players in their squad for each match.