Image courtesy of: The Guardian

Onions finished with 73 wickets in this year’s county season

England pace bowler Graham Onions has inked a deal with South Africa’s Dolphins franchise for their upcoming domestic season.

Onions last represented England in a Test match against the West Indies last year, but still could be called up for the second leg of the Ashes series as the national team prepare to travel to the Land Down Under to take on arch-rivals Australia in November.

“I am absolutely delighted to have signed for the Dolphins and am looking forward to play in South Africa which is renowned as having one of the strongest domestic set-ups in the world,” Onions said. “My availability will obviously depend upon England selections, but I hope to be able to contribute to a successful campaign for the Dolphins this year.”

Onions finished atop the wicket-takers list in the recently concluded English county season with 73 wickets at an eye-popping average of 18.93.

South Africa’s domestic season begins with the ODI tournament, which gets underway on October 11 before moving on to first-class matches, which run from November 21 to early April,

The Ram Slam Twenty20 tournament is scheduled to begin in January and will last till February.

If Onions is called up for the Ashes, he will not be able to represent the Dolphins from mid-November till the conclusion of the fifth Test on January 7.

Speaking about the signing of Onions, Dolphins head coach Lance Klusener said: “The signing of Graham is a great addition to the Dolphins squad. Graham is an ultimate professional that will bring quality and experience.”