AUSTRALIAN ace Peter Handscomb has promised Gloucestershire he will make ‘as many runs as possible’ when he has the chance this season.

Handscomb, who turned 24 on Sunday, follows a line of foreign imports at the County Ground who have been relative unknowns when they were recruited by Gloucestershire but went on to become big names in the future.

One of those was fellow Australian Andrew Symonds who came over to the county as a twenty-year-old and went on to play 26 Tests for his country and 198 One-Day Internationals.

Handscomb will be the second overseas player at Gloucestershire behind first-choice Michael Klinger, who is due back in Britain imminently from playing for Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield.

Gloucestershire can play both Aussies in the NatWest T20 Blast but only one in other competitions and, when he gets a knock, then expect fireworks!

Handscomb said: “I think when Michael is here, I will only be playing the T20s so that is the one tournament where you can play two overseas pros and it will be good to play with him there.

“But, in the meantime, I will watch the boys go about their business, train hard with the side and enjoy what the T20 competition has to offer when Michael is here. When he is not, I will try and make as many runs as I can in all forms.”

And he has real belief that Gloucestershire can be a force to be reckoned with this summer under the joint captaincy of Klinger and England Ashes-winning Test star Geraint Jones.

“The Gloucestershire boys are good bunch of lads and from what I have seen early doors, they are a pretty experienced side which is always good.

“They seem to know how to play their cricket. Behind Jonesy and when Maxie Klinger gets here, there is one hell of a team shaping up. The boys can definitely push for a championship.”

And, in a quirk of fate, Gloucestershire now have the only two men to hit centuries in Australia’s version of the T20 Blast – the Big Bash. Klinger made his 105 not out in 2014, with Handscomb hitting an unbeaten 103 at the turn of the year.

Handscomb, who has a British passport but is proud to be Australian, said of that innings: “Unfortunately, I broke my finger before it started so I missed most of the games but I was lucky enough to come back for the last three games and one of them was just my night. I am not sure what happened but something clicked and a few balls went over the boundary so I was happy with that.

“Maxy (Klinger) and I are the only two to get a century in it so there are expectations now we are here. One of us will have to make a hundred or Gloucestershire will not be too happy!