Cape Town - Former Proteas batsman Stiaan van Zyl has become a Western Province Cricket Association (WPCA) umpire.

The 31-year-old Van Zyl, who played 12 Tests for the Proteas between 2014 and 2016 before signing a Kolpak deal, has been umpiring during the ongoing WPCA 2018/19 season.

He will stand in Saturday's Premier League fixture between Claremont Cricket Club and Victoria Cricket Club.

Van Zyl’s stint in the 2018/19 Premier League will end in January 2019.

Van Zyl has been playing for English county Sussex, but he is currently suffering from a serious knee injury that is threatening to cut his playing career short.

"I will hopefully go into umpiring after my playing career - that’s the plan," Van Zyl told Club Cricket SA.

Van Zyl scored 395 runs in his Test career at an average of just 26.33.