LONDON, Aug 8: Australia’s Test captain Steve Waugh has joined Kent for the remainder of the English cricket season, the county side announced Thursday.

Waugh, who has been dropped from Australia’s one-day side, will stand in for compatriot Andrew Symonds, Kent said on their official website.

Symonds has been picked for the Australia ‘A’ one-day team’s tour of South Africa next month, the BBC website said.

The 37-year-old Waugh, who last played in the English game for Somerset in 1988, will make his first appearance for Kent against Leicestershire in a one-day national league match on Aug 21.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to play some tough cricket and this stint will provide excellent preparation for the upcoming season (with Australia),” Waugh said.

Waugh hopes his spell with Kent will help him prepare for Australia’s three-Test series against Pakistan in October.

“It has been 15 years since I last played county cricket so it is quite exciting and I look forward to making a strong contribution at Kent County Cricket Club,” he added.

Ian Brayshaw, Kent’s Director of Cricket, said: “We are thrilled that Steve has agreed to join us for the rest of the season.

“We are obviously sad to see Andrew go, but are delighted to have been able to secure the services of such an experienced cricketer to help us in our push for success in the remainder of the season.”

Waugh’s twin brother Mark, also dropped from the Australian one-day side, said last week he would join Kent’s county rivals Essex, also for the rest of the English season, the Sky Sports website said.—Reuters