London, Oct 29 (IANS): England's Surrey County Cricket Club on Tuesday signed former South Africa batsman Hashim Amla on a two-year Kolpak contract. Amla had retired from international cricket in August, this year.

Amla is currently South Africa's second-highest Test run scorer with 9,282 runs in 124 matches, averaging 46.64.

Announcing the development, the club wrote on Twitter: "The one you've been waiting for. Welcome back, @amlahash."

Speaking after joining the club, Amla said: "Surrey are one of the most established and accomplished cricket clubs in the world and I am very excited to be joining them again while also not forgetting the opportunity to play alongside my good friend Morne Morkel again."

"I was part of the Surrey team in 2013 and 2014 and thoroughly enjoyed myself during those stints, so to rekindle that relationship for a longer period is something that excites me. I'm really looking forward to working with Alec Stewart and the rest of his team," the 36-year-old was quoted as saying by the club's official website.

Meanwhile, Director of Cricket Alec Stewart said: "With several of our players now in or around the international setup, the opportunity to bring Hashim back to Surrey was too good to ignore. His record speaks for itself and we know from his previous spells here that he will be an excellent resource for all of our players to learn from both on and off the field."

Amla is the only Proteas batsman to score a Test triple hundred - 311 not out against England in 2012.