Hampshire have signed South Africa batsman Hashim Amla as overseas player for the first three months of the 2018 season.

Amla, who is currently playing in a home Test series against Australia, will be available for County Championship and Royal London One-Day Cup matches during his spell.

The pedigree of Amla – he has been ICC No. 1 ranked batsman in both Test and ODI cricket – adds further to Hampshire’s batting line-up following the acquisition of Sam Northeast from Kent.

Hampshire’s director of cricket Giles White said: “Hashim is an exciting acquisition for us and we feel he’ll be an excellent fit within the group we’ve got, both on and off the pitch.

“He’s a world-class player and this addition adds strength and depth to our batting for the first three months of the season – runs on the board are important and hopefully this will help us achieve that consistently in both the four-day and 50-over competitions. We’re looking forward to welcoming Hashim and his family to the club.”

Hashim Amla said: “I am really pleased to be joining a club like Hampshire. Everyone I have spoken to, who have either played or are currently playing there, have only had good things to say about the team.

“I look forward to spending the first three months of the season with them, which works out well for me to be able to get some high-quality cricket in before the Proteas tour to Sri Lanka in July.”

The 34-year-old No.3 has previously had periods in county cricket with Essex, Nottinghamshire, Surrey and Derbyshire.