Hampshire sign Craig McMillan

Hampshire have signed the New Zealand allrounder, Craig McMillan, as a short-term replacement for Simon Katich, who will be away on international duty with Australia for the mid-part of the summer.

McMillan, 28, has played in 55 Tests and 162 limited-overs internationals, and will make his Hampshire debut on May 30 in the totesport League match against Northants at The Rose Bowl. He will remain with Hampshire for two months, before returning home at the end of July to prepare for New Zealand's tour of Zimbabwe.

McMillan shares the same birthday - September 13 - as his Hampshire captain, Shane Warne, and said: "I am very excited about the opportunity of playing for Hampshire. The prospect of lining up alongside Shane Warne after playing against him for seven or eight years is also very appealing. I look forward to contributing to what is already a very successful team."

Once McMillan has departed, Hampshire may turn to the services of Shane Watson, the Australian allrounder who played for them in 2004. A spokesman confirmed that they are in talks with Watson, who would be available after the one-day series in England, when Warne and Katich are both away on Test duty.