Hampshire have signed Gareth Berg, who had the last season of his contract with Middlesex cancelled in October after seven years with the Lord’s-based club.
The all-rounder was plagued by injury in 2014 when he made just one competitive first-team appearance, in the LV= County Championship during April.
Berg, 34, has been given the chance to continue his career on the south coast, with Hampshire signing him on a contract until the end of the season.
Berg, who was born in South Africa but has played for Italy, said: “Once I had the call from Giles (White, Hampshire director of cricket) showing an interest, it put a big smile on my face because Hampshire is a massive club and I’m very excited to be here.
“I thought that it would be nice to stay at one club my whole career, but this is a great fresh start for me and hopefully I can perform well for Hampshire in the season ahead.”
After making his debut for Middlesex in 2008, the seam-bowling all-rounder quickly became a regular for the club in all formats.
Berg, who has played 15 Twenty20 matches for Italy, went on to hit over 4,000 runs and take 221 wickets for Middlesex, before shoulder surgery ruled him out for the majority of 2014.
He added: “I’ve worked really hard on my fitness over the winter and from what I was told how the body would be to how it actually is now, is completely different.
“As a sportsman you’ve got to work against the odds and my body is probably in the best condition that it’s been in three years.”
White said: “The immediate focus is to get Gareth fit and playing ahead of the season. We have agreed a deal that supports this and I am confident that he will play an important role at Hampshire this year.
“Gareth is the type of player that can influence games with both bat and ball and he will add balance and experience to the squad; it’s great to have him here.”