Grant Elliott, the New Zealand allrounder who played a starring role in his country's run to the World Cup final in 2015, is to announce his retirement from international cricket.
Elliott will sign for Birmingham Bears as a Kolpak registration, joining fellow New Zealanders Jeetan Patel and Colin de Grandhomme at Edgbaston, but will play in the NatWest Blast only.
While Warwickshire's director of sport, Ashley Giles, stated that Kolpak registrations were "not a favoured option for me" when he rejoined the club, he did also say "never say never".
Giles said: "Grant has proven himself as a match-winner on the biggest stage. He top scored in the final and semi-final of the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2015 and he has a wealth of T20 experience, having played in several of the world's leading competitions.
"Securing Grant, and the earlier addition of Colin de Grandhomme, gives us the additional batting firepower that we wanted to complement a strong top order. He also gives us even more options with the ball and has good experience of English conditions.
"As a teammate of Jeetan, we know that Grant has great character and he will play an important role in developing the younger members of the squad. He will be a proud Bear and we look forward to welcoming him to Edgbaston in July."
At the age of 38, Elliott's decision is understandable. He has already retired from ODIs and has not played for New Zealand since their defeat by England in the World T20 semi-final exactly one year ago, but remains a sought-after T20 specialist.
Most recently, he was playing for Lahore Qalanders in the Pakistan Super League, where his final-ball six against Islamabad United, and subsequent bat-drop, attracted global headlines.
Born in Johannesburg, Elliott emigrated to New Zealand in search of new challenges in 2001, and played the first of his five Tests against England at Napier seven years later. He also featured in 16 T20Is, but it was in the 50-over format that he forged his international reputation.
In all, he played 83 ODIs, starting with a central role in New Zealand's 3-1 victory in England in 2008, but reaching its zenith on an unforgettable night at Auckland in the 2015 World Cup, when he struck the final-over six off Dale Steyn that propelled New Zealand into their first World Cup final.
Though they finished the tournament as runners-up, beaten by Australia in the final at Melbourne, Elliott top-scored for his team with 83 from 82 balls, to cement his cult-hero status among New Zealand's supporters.