Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene has joined English county Derbyshire for the first half of the 2008 season.
The 30-year-old, who will be featuring in county cricket for the first time, will arrive in the last week of April before leaving at the halfway stage in mid July.
Under the new ruling to be applicable from 2008, English counties can only have one overseas player in their line-up and Derbyshire said the Sri Lankan captain was their preferred choice.
"Signing such a world-class player and current international captain is a massive boost for the club ahead of the 2008 season," Derbyshire chairman Don Amott said.
The club has also signed up Rikki Clarke, Nayan Doshi, John Sadler and Wavell Hinds for the forthcoming season. Hinds, who has played 45 Tests for West Indies, will not be counted as an overseas player due to the Kolpak ruling.
2008 could turn out be a busy year for Jayawardene, who is also expected to play an active role in the Indian Premier League which begins from April.
Jayawardene had a golden English summer last year when Sri Lanka toured the country and scored a century at Lord's to save his team from defeat in the first Test against the England.
He also played a stellar role in Sri Lanka's ODI series victory in England.
