Duo trade Heat for Hobart

Hobart Hurricanes have bolstered their middle order batting firepower with the recruit of allrounders Dan Christian and Simon Milenko from the Brisbane Heat.

The Hurricanes have already made the biggest splash of the KFC T20 Big Bash League recruiting season so far by landing Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara for the season, and the latest additions help firm up the squad.

Christian has played 19 ODIs and 15 Twenty20 internationals for Australia and his explosive hitting potential is what attracted Hobart's interest. He is also the only allrounder in Big Bash League history to have collected more than 25 wickets and 600 runs over the four seasons of the competition.

"I feel I still have a lot to offer in the Twenty20 format," said the 32-year-old Christian. "I hope BBL|05 can be a big year for the Hobart Hurricanes.

"The team that is coming together for BBL|05 is looking really strong.

Christian played seven games last season for the Heat in a disappointing campaign for the Queensland side, averaging just 11.28 with the bat but was the club's leading wicket-taker with six scalps at 24 and an economy of eight.

The 26-year-old Milenko played just three games last season in a summer during which he also made his first-class debut for the Queensland Bulls.

The signings take Hobart's confirmed playing list for BBL|05 to nine: Tim Paine, Ben Dunk, Cameron Boyce, Jake Reed, Shaun Tait, Darren Sammy, Kumar Sangakkara, Dan Christian, Simon Milenko.