AB de Villiers has signed to play for English county side Middlesex in the Twenty20 Blast, the club announced on Monday.

The South African batsman is a second significant marquee signing for head coach Stuart Law, following the announcement that Afghan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman will join his squad for the T20 campaign.

De Villiers, 35, is available to play in the first seven rounds and, if necessary, will return for the latter stages of the tournament.

The batsman has played in every Indian Premier League since its inception in 2008, scoring almost 4,000 runs at an average of just under 40.