Nottinghamshire sign Hashim Amla

Hashim Amla, the South Africa batsmen, has been signed by Nottinghamshire for the first seven weeks of the 2010 county season. Amla will provide cover for Australian batsman David Hussey, who will play for Nottinghamshire after the IPL and the World Twenty20 in the West Indies.

"Six of our Championship fixtures begin before the end of May, so our main aim in the recruitment process was to find a batsman who we felt could score consistently in four day-cricket," Nottinghamshire director of cricket Mick Newell said. "Hashim is having a good time in India, he's not involved in South Africa's Twenty20 side and he hasn't got an IPL contract so he fits the bill.

"Pursuing county cricket is a good option for a player in his position and hopefully he'll leave with a positive impression of us and the door will be open for him to return at some stage in the future."

Amla is currently in India with the South African ODI squad. He was the Player of the Series in the recently-completed two-Test series, after scoring 490 runs and being dismissed just once.

He is expected to make his debut for Nottinghamshire in a three-day game against Durham UCCE from April 10 and will leave Trent Bridge after the County Championship match against Essex which concludes on June 1.