Batsmen Usman Khawaja and Chris Rogers are the latest players to join the Sydney Thunder for this summer’s Big Bash League (BBL) Twenty20 competition.

Khawaja, the Thunder’s second-highest run-scorer behind West Indies star Chris Gayle in last summer’s competition, returns while Rogers is a new face.

Currently playing English county cricket for Derbyshire, Khawaja will play for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield competition as he tries to return to Australia’s Test team.

Thunder general manager John Dyson said he was confident Khawaja will make the most of his opportunities at T20 level as well.

“Usman is a class player with the potential to be anything in all forms of the game,” Dyson said.

“He has the opportunity to prove it in this format. Hopefully, he will have a really big season.”

Rogers, who began his career in Sydney before heading to Western Australia, played one Test in the summer of 2007-08.

The 34-year-old heads north from Victoria for what will be his first BBL campaign and has big shoes to fill with Australian opener David Warner switching to cross-town rivals the Sydney Sixers last week.

The Thunder have signed 17 players, including Gayle, Australia captain Michael Clarke and Pakistan allrounder Shahid Afridi, leaving one more spot to be filled.