Mohammad Amir has signed as overseas player for Essex for the second half of the 2017 season.Amir, the Pakistan left-arm swing bowler, is expected to be available from the end of the Champions Trophy in mid-June. Essex hope he will help them adjust to life in Division One of the County Championship - they were promoted at the end of 2016 - and Amir, who married recently, now has family in the London area.Essex had been in particular need of pace-bowling reinforcements, after the retirements of Graham Napier - their leading wicket-taker in 2016 - and David Masters. The attack is likely to be led by Jamie Porter, 23, who has only played two full seasons of Championship cricket.Chris Silverwood, Essex coach, said: We are thrilled that Mohammad has decided to join us for half of the 2017 campaign. He showed a real desire to be a part of the Club and the fact we have him for two competitions is a real bonus. He is still only young but has proved himself at International level already, so it is a real coup to get this signing completed.Amir returned to Test cricket in England earlier this year, having served a five-year suspension for spot-fixing. He took 12 wickets in the series against England, but often bowled better than his final tally suggested, as he confirmed that his lengthy ban had not unduly undermined his potential.I am very excited about becoming part of the Essex family, Amir said. Chris Silverwood and Ronnie Irani have both been very supportive over the summer. Im hoping I can carry on Essexs success this season and achieve more for the club in 2017. Shoes NZ From China .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Cheap Shoes NZ . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months. https://www.shoesnzonline.com/ . Vettel was 0.168 seconds faster than Red Bull teammate Mark Webber around the Suzuka circuit. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was two tenths of a second off Vettel. "The car balance is decent, but I think we can still improve," Vettel said. Wholesale Shoes NZ . The 18-year-old American had five birdies in her bogey-free round for a 17-under total of 196. Lee held the overnight lead but mixed three birdies with two bogeys for a 70. Shoes NZ Sale . Most important, perhaps, it went off without a hitch. Organizers poked a little fun at the now-infamous opening ceremony gaffe that saw only four out of five snowflakes open up into rings, leaving the Olympics logo one ring short. Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson has taken a leave of absence from the Senators because of a personal matter at home, the team announced Thursday.While we are uncertain of how long Craig may be away, he will continue to have our support for as much time as is needed, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said in a statement. We will respect his privacy and will have no further comment at this time.Anderson is 4-1-0 this season ffor the Senators, with a 2.dddddddddddd95 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. He shut out the Vancouver Canucks in a win Tuesday.To replace Anderson, the Senators recalled goaltender Chris Driedger from AHL affiliate Binghamton. Driedger joins Andrew Hammond as goalies on Ottawas roster. ' ' '