The name Peter Trego drew mostly blank looks.

Somerset cricket fans will know him but some homework was required to get a handle on Central Districts' import for this summer's Twenty20 competition.

He's 31, six feet tall - short for an opening bowler - but has a reputation for being able to do most things on a cricket field.

Say what you like about him turning out in the Bangladesh and Zimbabwe Twenty20 competitions, but Trego was good for Somerset in the Champions League last year and scored a 60-ball century against South Africa in July.

Central Districts coach Alan Hunt wanted a player with experience to cover for the loss of his international trio of Ross Taylor, Jacob Oram and Doug Bracewell, and maybe even Adam Milne.

Theoretically he needed someone like Shane Watson or Jacques Kallis but with money always an issue, he came up with Trego.

"His name kept popping up as a guy who could do a job for us," Hunt said. "When he scores runs he gets them at a fair clip and he can bowl at the start and at the death. He is quite flexible."

Trego played at Middlesex and Kent before joining Somerset and Hunt said Oram had asked around about him in England and the feedback was positive.

Trego's career record is 5613 first-class runs at an average of 34.86 and 242 wickets at 36.59. Perhaps more relevantly, his Twenty20 statistics are 2070 runs at 23.25 and a strike rate of 120, and 60 wickets at 30.15 and 8.52 runs per over.

Central deserve a return on their import this season. Last summer they brought out Graham Napier and he broke down before the first game.

Trego's contract runs from the round two clash against Wellington in Napier on December 7 through to the final on January 20.

He misses the opening round on November 23 because Central felt it was a luxury to have him sitting around for two weeks. He will play two Plunket Shield matches in mid-December.

- © Fairfax NZ News