Nel leaves Scotland for Kent

Coach Pete Steindl and captain Gavin Hamilton are working with threadbare resources after the retirement of a series of experienced players in the past three years, and the loss of their main strike bowler will be hard to overcome, even if Nel's contribution has been patchy since he turned professional early last year.

The 29-year-old, schooled in Edinburgh after moving from South Africa as a teenager, was on trial at Canterbury last week and looks certain to embark on his second stint as a county player, having spent three months at Worcestershire in 2007. Cricket Scotland may be entitled to compensation from Kent, as he is under contract for the duration of 2010.

Kent team director Paul Farbrace said: "We are short of bowling resources. Dewald is a very consistent performer and bowls at a good pace for county cricket. We know what we can get from him. He's had a few days with us and we're hoping that we can get something sorted."

Meanwhile, James Anderson admits the lure of the Indian Premier League may prove impossible to resist at some point in his career.

The England fast bowler and team-mate Stuart Broad memorably put Ashes ambition before cash when they released a joint statement last December to confirm they would not be available for the IPL this year.

The 27-year-old Lancashire seamer's decision was made more straightforward by the fact he was nursing a knee injury which required three injections on a tough tour of South Africa and ruled him out of the subsequent trip to Bangladesh.

However, having watched from afar over the past two weeks as many of the world's best players delighted huge crowds in India, Anderson acknowledges he would love to join them one day.

"I'd probably like to play in the future, if I'm being honest," he said. "It's a great tournament."

Anderson has been influenced by glowing reports from a clutch of his fellow England players, including Kevin Pietersen and Twenty20 captain Paul Collingwood, who already have IPL contracts.

He also believes the ever-increasing amount of Twenty20 international cricket – England are due to pick their final 15-man squad tomorrow to fly to the Caribbean next month for a second ICC tournament in less than a year – means there is much to be gained by playing against the best in the IPL.

"The more Twenty20 cricket we play as an international team, the more experience you can get the better, and playing in tournaments like that you can get a lot of experience," Anderson added.

"It's a huge spectacle, with a huge crowd and a real buzz around the whole game. It looks like it would be brilliant to be part of. All the players who have gone from England have said that."

Anderson expects to be fit for Lancashire's opening game with Durham UCCE next weekend.