Adil Rashid has signed for South Australia to play in the forthcoming KFC Twenty20 Big Bash competition.

The 22-year-old leg-spinning all-rounder joins West Indian Kieron Pollard as one of the Redbacks’ two overseas players.

Rashid who has played five Twenty20 internationals for England, was the joint leading wicket-taker in the North Division of our domestic 2010 Friends Provident Twenty20 event with 26 victims.

He was last week named in the England Lions squad for the two-month tour of the West Indies, starting on January 24. The Big Bash runs from December 30 through to February 5.

Rashid was also listed in England’s initial 30-man squad for the World Cup, which gets under way on February 22. The final 15-man squad will be confirmed on January 19.

SA director of cricket Jamie Cox said: “He is very highly regarded in the English system. He’s played a lot of cricket, and a lot of good cricket.”

The news comes on the day that six Yorkshire team-mates put their names forward to be part of the Indian Premier League in April.

Rashid has ambitions to play in the IPL, but not yet.

He said: “The IPL has been a really successful competition. It would be nice to go over there and get some more experience of playing in front of big crowds against big players at some point. But nothing has yet has come into my mind.”