Hampshire: Dale Steyn replaces Hashim Amla as overseas player

Hashim Amla has scored 8,982 runs in Test cricket for South Africa

Dale Steyn will replace fellow South Africa international Hashim Amla as Hampshire's overseas player after the batsman picked up a knee injury.

Right-hander Amla, 35, returned to South Africa for treatment after sustaining the problem in May.

He will continue his rehabilitation before his country's Test series against Sri Lanka in July.

Fast bowler Steyn, 34, will now be available for Hampshire's three County Championship matches this month.

The right-armer, had originally signed to deputise for Amla in Wednesday's One-Day Cup match with Somerset, in which he conceded 80 runs in 10 overs in a defeat, and the Championship meeting with Surrey starting on 9 June as he sought to gain fitness for international cricket.

But he will now be available for two further four-day matches against Yorkshire and Lancashire and Hampshire's One-Day Cup home semi-final later this month.

The club also hope he will return for the second half of the T20 Blast once his international commitments have ended.

Amla, who initially signed for the first three months of the season, has been Hampshire's leading County Championship run-scorer this season with 492 runs, including two centuries and three fifties.

"Hashim's going to make sure that injury settles itself down before their series against Sri Lanka," Hampshire director of cricket Giles White told BBC Radio Solent.

"I can't say enough good things about what he's done since he's been with the club.

"He was brilliant with the young players and really engaged with the club. Hopefully he'll be back at some stage in the future."