Derbyshire have announced the signing of South Africa captain Hashim Amla on a short-term deal.
The 31-year-old, who has scored 6757 runs in 82 Tests for South Africa at an average of 52.78 – will play three T20 Blast fixtures and two County Championship matches as a replacement for Martin Guptill, who has been called up for New Zealand’s Test squad for next month’s tour of England.
“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to play in England this summer,” the veteran batsman told the club’s official website.
“Derbyshire are an ambitious club with an exciting young team and I’ve enjoyed working with Graeme [Welch, Elite Performance Director] before. I’m looking forward to making a strong contribution in both four-day and Twenty-20 cricket for Derbyshire next month.”
Amla`s first Derbyshire encounter will be on May 10 when they take on Northamptonshire in the County Championship.
He has also played 115 ODIs, scoring 5 692 runs at 55.26, and 26 T20 internationals, adding 600 runs at a strike rate of 122.44.
Derbyshire will be Amla’s fourth English county club, after having spells with Surrey, Nottinghamshire and Essex.
