Cricket: Cowan set for Gloucestershire return (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Ed Cowan to replace Rob Nicol as Gloucestershire's overseas player for their County Championship game against Northants

6:15pm Sunday 19th August 2012 in Sport By Rob Iles

AUSTRALIAN international Ed Cowan will return to Gloucestershire to play one game as their overseas player next month.
The 30-year-old enjoyed a successful short spell with the county in July, hitting a century in his only County Championship appearance against Essex at Cheltenham and also helping them reach the Friends Life t20 quarter-finals by hitting 70 in their victory over Worcestershire.
He then joined up with the Australia A squad to skipper them on their tour of England, but will play for Gloucestershire in the Championship game against Northants, starting on Tuesday, September 4 at Bristol, as current overseas player Rob Nicol is due to join up with the New Zealand squad.
Cowan is currently living with his wife, who is expecting a baby at any time, in Bibury and intends to stay in the country after the tour finishes.
Nicol, who replaced Cowan as overseas player, will play his last game against Yorkshire at the end of this month before joining up with the New Zealand squad in India to play some matches as preparation for the Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka.
Gloucestershire chief executive Tom Richardson said: "We are delighted that Ed Cowan is going to play for us again. We would have liked him to be with us until the end of the season, but he will be flying back to Australia after the Northants game.
"It's good that we are going to maintain our ties with Ed because he is a player we might well be interested in signing again in the future.
"When Rob Nicol arrived we hoped he would be available for all our remaining games. But there are so many international commitments for overseas players these days that there is always a chance they will be selected by their countries."
Ian Saxelby has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury that could require surgery.
However, Will Gidman returned to the side for the Championship match and took 3-75 in a match ruined by rain.
After only 11.2 overs were played over the first three days, Kent declared on 300-9 on the final day, with Gloucestershire scoring one run off the only ball in their innings as the teams took six points apiece from the match.