Essex have announced the signing of India spinner Harbhajan Singh for the second half of the English summer.
Harbhajan will arrive at Chelmsford in mid-July and is available for the remaining eight matches of Essex's campaign in Division Two of the LV=County Championship.
He is scheduled to make his debut for his new employers, subject to him receiving visa clearance in time, against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham in a four-dayer which gets underway on July 11.
The 32-year-old, who has played in 98 Tests and 227 one-dayers, will also be able to play for the Eagles in the Clydesdale Bank 40 competition.
"We are delighted to have signed one of the best spinners in world cricket over the last 10 years or so," Essex head coach Paul Grayson told the county's website.
"Harbhajan is a great character who is a match winner and I believe that his winning mentality will rub off on the rest of the playing squad here at Essex.
"I am really excited at the prospect of having him in the squad and this signing for the second half of the season shows that Essex mean business and will continue to fight in the LV= County Championship & Clydesdale Bank 40 formats of the game."
Harbhajan has previously played county cricket for Surrey and has taken 406 Test scalps, though he has not played for India in the longest form of the game since the second match of the series against England last summer.
