Vernon Philander, joining Nottinghamshire for the first two months of the domestic season, following the ICC Cricket World Cup, comes to Trent Bridge with quite a reputation.
A South African all-formats international, Philander prides himself on moving the ball in both directions and keeping batsmen under pressure for long periods of time.
It has worked for him too, taking Philander just seven matches to reach 50 Test wickets. He has gone on to reach 146 wickets for South Africa, as well as claiming 590 scalps in first class, List A and Twenty20 cricket. As skilled in the shorter formats as he is in the red-ball game, Philander claimed 5-17 in a twenty20 match between Cape Cobras and Dolphins in 2010.
His run scoring is equally as impressive. As well as amassing 805 runs across all formats for South Africa, he has some 3,085 first class runs to his name.
The Belville-born all-rounder made his first class debut for the Western Providence in 2004, and three hard years in domestic cricket saw him rewarded with a call up to South Africa’s limited-overs sides. From there, he became an all-formats international, receiving his Test cap in 2011.
He has also made his mark on county cricket too. Having enjoyed stints with Devon, Kent, Middlesex and Somerset in his earlier career, he will be expected to be accustomed to English conditions and will look to make his mark as early into the season as possible.