The Yorkshire County Cricket Club can confirm that Sarfraz Ahmed has signed a short-term deal with the Club, as a replacement overseas signing for the outgoing Peter Handscomb.

Handscomb is due to depart the UK after the Vikings’ trip to Trent Bridge on Sunday July 30 and will head home for a scheduled week-long training camp in Darwin ahead of Australia’s tour of Bangladesh. Sarfraz is due to arrive in the UK before the end of the month, subject to obtaining a visa. It is anticipated he will play the final five qualifying NatWest T20 Blast fixtures, as well as any potential involvement in the knockout stages of the competition.

On Handscomb’s departure, the Club’s Director of Cricket Martyn Moxon said: “The Bangladesh tour was planned so it’s something we always knew could happen, but Pete has settled really well and we have got to deal with these international calls. We’re used to that and we have to manage it. Obviously there has been some trouble between the Australian players and their board, which has made things slightly more difficult for us and for Pete himself, but that’s unavoidable. We hope Pete continues his fine form but doesn’t get too many against England in the winter. He’s a fine young player and I’m sure will go on to great things.”

The Club have moved swiftly to fill the void left by Handscomb and have added the Pakistani wicketkeeper-batsman to the playing group. Karachi-born Sarfraz, who recently captained Pakistan to an unlikely victory in the Champions Trophy, has accrued 359 runs in 29 T20Is, at a strike rate of 118.48. The 30-year-old averages 28.03 in domestic T20 cricket, including eight half-centuries.

“I’ve always wanted to play county cricket so this is an exciting opportunity for me,” Sarfraz told yorkshireccc.com. “Yorkshire are a big club with a rich history and huge reputation and I’m proud to be following in the footsteps of other Pakistanis who have played at Headingley like Younus Khan and Inzamam-ul Haq. It’s a dream come true for me and hopefully it can help me become an even better professional.

“I hope I can contribute towards some victories while I’m there and provide the crowd the sort of entertainment they’re looking for. I look forward to having a taste of the T20 Blast.”

The potent right-hander captains Pakistan across all three formats, having recently been appointed as Test captain, and has led Club side Quetta Gladiators to the last two Pakistan Super League finals. During those two seasons Sarfraz has contributed 168 and 183 runs respectively across the competition’s nine innings.

“We looked at Pete’s role in T20 as a wicket-keeper batsman who bats in the top five,” added Moxon. “Through trying to keep the consistency and balance of the team as it is currently, Sarfraz was the perfect choice for that role. With his recent success in the Champions Trophy, we asked a few people about him as far as his cricketing prowess and all the reports coming back are that he’s an outstanding cricketer both as a keeper and batsman. I believe he’ll fit in well to our structures and will be a success.

“When we knew that Pete was going to Bangladesh, we started to think about what we could do. ‘Do we go with our own players? Do we try and bring someone else in?’ We were quite prepared to go with our own players if need be but when we looked at it and enquired about the availability of Sarfraz, it seemed to make sense that we would make him an offer and fortunately he’s agreed to join us.”

Shaun Marsh will play the remaining five Specsavers County Championship matches, beginning with Essex at Scarborough on August 6.