Kent sign Malinga Bandara

Kent have signed Malinga Bandara, the Sri Lankan legspinner, as their overseas player for the second half of next season.

Bandara, 30, has played eight Tests, 31 one-dayers and four Twenty20 Internationals for Sri Lanka, and worked with Paul Farbrace, the Kent coach, when Farbrace was assistant coach of Sri Lanka. Bandara will arrive in May in time for the first Twenty20 match of the season. He will share overseas duties with Australian Stuart Clark, who is with Kent for the first half of the 2010 season.

Farbrace said he is looking forward to teaming James Tredwell, who was selected for England's Test tour to Bangladesh, with Bandara next season. "I'm absolutely delighted that such a high quality cricketer has chosen to join Kent. I'm thrilled at the prospect of him teaming up with James Tredwell and creating a high quality spin attack. Malinga is an experienced cricketer and will add great knowledge to our team; both on and off the field."

Bandara has taken 391 first-class wickets at an average of 24.96 and has a handy record as a lower-order batsman, with a first-class average of 19.97. He joins a Kent side looking to continue their good progress after they won Division Two of the Championship last season.