Middlesex have signed New Zealand great Kane Williamson in a major coup ahead of the new county season.

Williamson, widely regarded as one of the best batter’s of his generation, will be available for at least five matches in the second half of the County Championship season, as well as the majority of the Vitality Blast.

The 34-year-old will also captain London Spirit in the Hundred, meaning Lord’s - where he skippered New Zealand in the epic 2019 World Cup final - will become his home for much of the English summer.

“To be able to play for Middlesex – a fine club with a rich heritage – is really exciting and something that I’m really looking forward to being a part of,” Williamson said. “To play at Lord’s, the Home of Cricket – which is one of my favourite grounds in the world for so many different reasons – is something I’m especially looking forward to also.

“There’s a good balance of youth and experience in the Middlesex squad, which is great, and I’m really excited to join up with the team, meet the players in the squad and helping out wherever I can.”

Williamson is New Zealand’s all-time leading run-scorer across formats, having made more than 18,000 international runs.

He last played in county cricket in 2018, during the most recent of several spells at Yorkshire, and first did so with Gloucestershire in 2011.

“We are hugely excited about Kane joining Middlesex this summer and are looking forward to him making a positive impact in both our Blast and Championship campaigns,” Middlesex director of cricket Alan Coleman said.

“To have secured one of the most talented players in the world game is a real coup, and we can’t wait to welcome him to Lord’s and to seeing him heading out with the three Seaxes on his chest.

“Having a player like Kane in the Middlesex dressing room will be a huge plus for the entire squad, and especially our younger players, who will benefit enormously from playing alongside one of the world’s best.”