Former Proteas batsman Heino Kuhn will captain Kent in the absence of regular skippers Joe Denly and Sam Billings later this year.

Kuhn will fill the role in an interim capacity while Denly and Billings are playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League respectively.

‘Speaking to Heino, I wasn’t quite sure whether he was going to want to do it, having only been here for a year, but he was very much up for it and felt very honoured to be asked. He felt he’d got to know the guys very well last year,’ said Kent head coach Matt Walker.

‘It’s the obvious choice in many ways in terms of his experience, international quality, the boys respect him hugely, the way he goes about his day-to-day business as a professional cricketer, everyone respects him very highly, he’s a great example in lots of ways.

‘I don’t think it will raise any concerns among the group. We could have gone a bit more of a left-field route and really thrown someone the gauntlet for this small period, but I think we’re in safer hands in that way with Heino.’

The 34-year-old Kuhn played four Tests and seven T20Is between joining Kent on a Kolkpak contract last year. He is currently playing for the Titans in South Africa’s One-Day Cup. Fast bowler Duanne Olivier is the most recent South African cricketer to snub an international career for a Kolkpak contract, with Yorkshire.