Lancashire have signed Pakistani batsman Mohammad Yousuf as the club's replacement overseas player whilst Brad Hodge competes in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Subject to work permit and registration, the 33-year old will arrive in Manchester later this week and is expected to make his Lancashire debut this Sunday against Durham Dynamos in the Friends Provident Trophy at Old Trafford.

Yousuf, the 2007 Wisden Cricketer of the Year, has played 79 Tests and 261 One Day Internationals scoring almost 16,000 International runs to date.

He has a batting average at Test level of 55.49 and a First-Class average of 50.58.

English fans will best remember Yousuf for his incredible batting during the Test Series' against England in both 2005 and 2006.

In December 2005, he scored 223 runs in Lahore before once again punishing England's bowlers during the 2006 Test Series, scoring 631 runs at an average of 90.

Cricket Manager Mike Watkinson said: "The decision to allow Brad (Hodge) to compete in the IPL happened quite suddenly, and as I said at the time, the club would only replace him if a top quality player was available.

"We are delighted to have captured one of the world's leading Batsman and look forward to him making an immediate impact for the county".

Speaking from his home in Pakistan, Yousuf said: "I've always wanted to play county cricket, and to get the opportunity with a club as big as Lancashire is fantastic.

"Old Trafford is somewhere I've enjoyed playing at during my International career and I'm determined to make a significant contribution to Lancashire's season."