The 37-year-old will make his debut in a Norwich Union League floodlit match against Leicestershire.

Waugh, who has joined the club as a replacement for Andrew Symonds, last played in English county cricket in 1988 when he turned out for Somerset.

Symonds has one-day commitments for Australia A in South Africa from 4 to 18 September.

The veteran right-hander hopes the move will help him gain some match practice ahead of Australia's three-Test series with Pakistan in September.

"I am looking forward to the opportunity to play some tough cricket and this stint will provide excellent preparation for the upcoming season," Waugh said.

Waugh will be playing for Kent while his twin Mark appears for another south-east county, Essex.

Sadly, fans will not have the chance to see the two brothers play against each other as Kent and Essex are not due to face each other in the remainder of the season.

Steve Waugh added: "It has been 15 years since I last played county cricket, so it is quite exciting and I look forward to making a strong contribution at Kent."

Interest

Yorkshire, Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire were also keen to sign Waugh, who has scored 9,600 Test runs, leading Australia since February 1999.

"We are thrilled that Steve has agreed to play for us for the rest of the season," said Kent's director of cricket Ian Brayshaw.

"We are obviously sad to see Andrew go, but are delighted to have been able to secure the services of such an experienced cricketer to help us in our push for success.

"It is a great boost for everyone at the club."