The England cricketer Ravi Bopara will play for Auckland in the domestic competition this season in a bid to revive his international career.
The 24-year-old Essex batsman is expected to arrive on Saturday and to be available for the opening four matches in the national four-day competition, which starts next week, before the one-day and Twenty20 competitions.
Auckland Cricket's chief executive Andrew Eade says Bopara will add great value as a hard-hitting batsmen who can also bowl a bit.
Eade says Bopara's keen to stay for the summer as he tries to regain his place in the England team.
He appeared set for a long stint after hitting test centuries in three successive appearances against the West Indies but lost his form during the Ashes series and was dropped for the fifth test.
