HAMPSHIRE have signed West Indies captain Darren Sammy for the Natwest T20 Blast.

The all-rounder, whose Windies side beat England at the World T20 last week, will play alongside his Pakistan Super League teammate Shahid Afridi as one of Hampshire's two T20 overseas players.

Former South Africa all-rounder Ryan McLaren is available for the entirety of the summer as Hampshire's overseas player in the other formats, but will be rested for most of the T20 campaign.

Sammy will depart for the Caribbean Premier League in July but if Hampshire qualify he will also be available in August for the quarter-finals and Finals Day.

Hampshire director of cricket Giles White said: "Darren will add power to our middle/lower order, where he and Afridi are a dynamic combination, as they showed when they played together [for Peshawar Zalmi] at the PSL.

“It will be very good to have two international captains in the side."

Sammy has taken 120 T20 wickets his medium pace.

"He's a clever bowler who takes the pace off the ball well," said White.

"He's also an infectious character who has played a lot of T20 cricket around the world but is not playing IPL this year so will be fresh."

Sammy, 32, said: “I love playing in the UK and I’m really excited to have signed with Hampshire.

"Hampshire have had strong T20 results in the past which I’m hoping will continue this coming summer.

"They also have a rich West Indian history which I’m looking forward to adding to the best I can. I can’t wait to meet my new team-mates in June.”

Sammy has also played a combined ten games in the T20 Blast for Glamorgan and Nottinghamshire in the last two seasons, contributing 140 runs at 28 - including a 14-ball 28 in a losing cause against Hampshire at Cardiff in 2014 - and seven wickets at 40 apiece.

The first St Lucian to captain the West Indies, Sammy joins former Test teammate Fidel Edwards at The Ageas Bowl - where he made two one-day international debuts 12 years ago.

In July 2004, a Natwest Bank Series match between West Indies and New Zealand was abandoned without a ball bowled, but after the toss took place so was was officially recorded as Sammy’s ODI 'debut'.

Three months later, he returned to West End for his first full international and took 1-19 in a 138-run win against Bangladesh in the ICC Champions Trophy.

“It’s a great cricket ground, I made my debut here but they say I made my debut twice!” he laughed, before the Windies' 114-run defeat against England at the Ageas Bowl in 2012.

Possible Hampshire T20 team (for opening game v Middlesex at Uxbridge on May 27): Carberry, Vince, Wheater, Dawson, Ervine, Afridi, Sammy, Smith, Wood, Edwards, Topley.