The Brisbane Heat have reached an in principle agreement with Pakistani leg spinner Yasir Shah.
Shah will be an international replacement for the side's two foreign signings, Brendon McCullum and Shadab Khan during BBL07, should either player get injured.
He will train with the team and be available from the start of the tournament.
“Having Yasir agree to join us as a replacement player means that we can plan for the series with some certainty,’’ Heat coach Dan Vettori said.
“Shadab Khan has been going from strength-to-strength for Pakistan since signing with us and there is the possibility he could be required for international duty during the BBL.
“Having an experienced ‘like for like’ player such as Yasir to call upon means we can hopefully have continuity with our playing plans.
“He’s a very accomplished player in Test, One Day and T20 formats, and having him around will also benefit the slow bowlers in our squad, especially someone like Mitch Swepson who is a young bowler rapidly gaining more experience transitioning between white and red ball cricket.”
Shah has claimed 165 Test scalps at an average of 29.44 in only 28 Tests, while in he has taken 60 wickets at an economy rate of 6.71 in T20 cricket.
Brisbane still has three roster spots to fill before the start of the season.
The Heat's first match is against the Melbourne Stars at the Gabba on December 20.
Brisbane Heat squad: Joe Burns, Ben Cutting, Brendan Doggett, Jason Floros, Sam Heazlett, Shadab Khan (International), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Lalor, Chris Lynn, Brendon McCullum (International, Captain), Jimmy Peirson, Matt Renshaw, Alex Ross, Mitchell Swepson, Mark Steketee.
