Derbyshire County Cricket Club have filled the gap created by Martin Guptill’s Test recall by signing South Africa batsman and Test captain, Hashim Amla.

Amla, who is currently ranked as the world’s No 3 Test batsman, will join the Club at the start of May and be available for two  County Championship matches and three NatWest T20 Blast fixtures.

The 31-year-old, who is widely regarded as one of the best batsman in world cricket, has featured in 82 Tests scoring 6,757 runs at an average of 52.78 and a top score of 311 not out.

He is also an experienced limited overs batsman, scoring over 2,500 runs in 100 Twenty20 appearances, with a high score of 88 not out, and a strike rate in international Twenty20 cricket of 122.44 at an average of 25.0.

Amla’s first fixture for Derbyshire will be the County Championship match against Northamptonshire at The County Ground, Derby, beginning on Sunday 10 May.

Elite Performance Director Graeme Welch said: ‘Hashim is a world-class batsman and a proven match-winner on both the Test and limited-overs stage.

‘He’s a player I have worked with before and I know he will be a great influence on the younger lads. He will also bring a wealth of experience to the side as we look to compete at the highest level in both red ball and white ball cricket.’

Amla added: ‘I’m delighted to have the opportunity to play in England this summer. Derbyshire are an ambitious club with an exciting young team and I’ve enjoyed working with Graeme before.

‘I’m looking forward to making a strong contribution in both four-day and Twenty20 cricket.’

Chairman Chris Grant commented: ‘We’re working tirelessly to bring success to the county and our ability to augment our young Derbyshire squad with world-class players like Martin Guptill, Tillakaratne Dilshan and now Hashim Amla is another signal of the huge progress we are making as a club on and off the field.’