Hampshire have signed South Africa star Chris Morris as their overseas player for the Vitality Blast.

The 32 year-old is the latest Proteas star to sign for Hampshire, joining former teammates Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw.

Morris knows Hampshire head coach Adi Birrell, who used to be South Africa’s assistant coach and will add vital experience both with the ball and as a hard-hitting lower-order batsman.

He brings with him a wealth of experience, having played for four different IPL franchises (Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals) This will be his second county stint, three years after he played six T20 Blast games for Surrey.

He played the last of his four Tests in July 2017 and the last of his 34 one-day internationals in February 2018.

But Hampshire’s latest signing was called up to South Africa’s World Cup squad on Tuesday as a replacement for Anrich Nortje (fractured hand) and remains a regular in South Africa’s T20 side.

He has taken 34 wickets at an average of 20.5 with an economy rate of 8.39.

His 133 runs at 14.77 have been scored at a strike rate of 130.77 and include an unbeaten 55.