South Africa's Dane Paterson will spend April and May playing for Middlesex in the County Championship, a move which will give him the chance to play at Lord's and pitch his case for selection ahead of the World Test Championship final on June 11.
Paterson, 35, took five-wicket hauls in both of the Tests he played in South Africa's home summer, against Sri Lanka in Gqerbha, and against Pakistan at Centurion. He has signed a contract which covers Middlesex's first seven Championship fixtures - including four games at Lord's, where South Africa will face Australia in the WTC final.
Across four seasons with Nottinghamshire, Paterson took 180 Championship wickets at 23.25, including seven five-wicket hauls, but the club have opted not to renew his contract. He will instead join Middlesex, and will hope to spearhead their attack after Ethan Bamber's departure to Warwickshire over the winter.
"It's an honour to be joining Middlesex," Paterson said. "I will do my best to give Middlesex the best chance of getting promoted back to Division One again, where the club belongs. I can't wait to be playing at Lord's - such a prestigious ground - and I'm just really excited about the challenge that lies ahead.
"Whilst obviously I'm sad not to be returning to Trent Bridge after what has been an amazing four years, I'll always treasure the time I've spent there. It quickly became a home away from home for me and I made friendships in the dressing room which I'm sure will last a lifetime."
Paterson joins Kyle Verreynne (Notts) in signing for a county ahead of the WTC final, with David Bedingham also due to back at Durham. Rassie van der Dussen revealed on Thursday that he has turned down a move.
Australia's Cameron Green (Gloucestershire) and Beau Webster (Warwickshire) will also use the Championship to prepare for the final, with many other likely participants involved in either the IPL or PSL during the April-May window.
Middlesex did not sign an overseas player last year due to financial constraints but Paterson is the third they have announced this month, after Kane Williamson and Josh Little. They have also brought in Zafar Gohar, the Pakistan-born spinner, as a local player thanks to his British passport, and signed Ben Geddes from Surrey as a replacement for Mark Stoneman.
Alan Coleman, Middlesex's director of cricket, said: "We are really pleased to get this signing secured as Dane is a player that will bring an enormous amount of quality to our pace attack and is someone that can make a real impact for us in the first half of the season.
"He has proven throughout the four-years he spent with Nottinghamshire that he has all the attributes needed to succeed in English conditions, and he brings with him a wealth of experience, built up over many years on both the domestic and international stages."
Elsewhere, Durham have announced the signing of Brendan Doggett, the South Australia seamer who recently played for Australia A against England Lions. Doggett is only eligible for a short-term visa but is due to arrive in time to face Warwickshire on April 11 and will be at Durham for the early weeks of the 2025 season.