Derbyshire have signed Mohammad Yousuf [ Images ] as cover for South African batsman Jacques Rudolph for the early part of their season next year.

The Pakistani right-hander will join the county in April next year and will play for them until mid May.

Yousuf will bolster the Derbyshire batting lineup until the arrival of Rudolph, who made a match saving maiden Test hundred against Australia [ Images ] at Perth on Tuesday.

"To be able to bring a player of that quality is a real boost and demonstrates our ambition," Derbyshire Chief Executive Tom Sears said in a release in London [ Images ].

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"Although he will be with us for a relatively short period of time, Yousuf is determined to make an impact and has already expressed an interest in playing a full season at Derbyshire in 2007," Mr Sears added.

The 31-year-old, who made a career high 223 in the third Test against England [ Images ], has played 62 Tests with an average of 48.5 including 14 hundreds. The right-hander is also an experienced one-day player having played 203 ODIs averaging 42.

- UNI