Hampshire sign South African wicket-keeper batsman

The South African international wicketkeeper-batsman Nic Pothas has joined Hampshire on a two-year contract.

Nic Pothas

Pothas, 28 from Johannesburg, qualifies as an EC player as he holds a Greek passport. He represented South Africa in three one-day internationals in Singapore in August 2000.

Pothas, who had been chased by four other English counties, was classified only recently as an EC player and now plays for Gauteng, formerly Transvaal, as their overseas player. He made his Transvaal debut eight years ago and has a batting average of 36 with a top score of 165.

"He is a quality player," says Hampshire's Director of Cricket Tim Tremlett, "and comes highly recommended by our South African coach Jimmy Cook."