Mike Hussey signs for Gloucestershire

Australia's Mike Hussey has signed a short-term contract with Gloucestershire, and will return to county cricket while Shoaib Malik is on international duty with Pakistan.

Hussey, who scored unbeaten triple-centuries for Northamptonshire in three consecutive summers from 2001, opted to take a break from the county treadmill this season to push for a permanent place in the Australian Test team. He played in a solitary VB Series match against India at Perth last winter, but has not been called upon since.

"Michael is a proven high-volume run-scorer who will add great value to our team," said Gloucestershire's head coach, Mark Alleyne. "I am really looking forward to working with him over the next few weeks."