KENT have confirmed that rookie South Africa gun-bowler Morne Morkel will replace Andrew Hall for the start of their Twenty20 Cup campaign from Friday.

The gangly, 22-year-old paceman who plays for Titans will make his debut in the opening qualifier at The Rose Bowl on Friday night.

Morkel made his first-class debut in 2004 but missed most of the following season through injury, but has performed consistently for the Nashua Titans since and went on to make his Test debut in the Boxing Day Test of 2006 against India.

Having taken four for 29 in a warm-up game against the tourists, Morkel was snatched from relative obscurity to take three for 86 in the 174-run win at Kingsmead.

In the same game Morkel, a protege of former Warwickshire paceman Allan Donald, contributed scores of 31 and 27 for the Proteas' cause, batting at No9 he easily out-scored Hall in both innings.

He has a highest first-class score of 57 and, in his 19 first-class games to date, has taken 66 wickets at an average of 29.

The young strike bowler from Transvaal has seemingly struggled in his 12 previous Twenty20 games, however, taking only eight wickets costing 35 apiece while contributing a top-score of six.

Explaining the club's thinking in taking on a young, inexperienced and almost unproven player, Kent's director of cricket Graham Ford said: "We are doing this with one eye on the end of the season really when Hallie seems likely to be away in Zimbabwe and the World Cup and at that point Morne's extra pace would be very useful.

"He's a strapping lad who really gets it through at about 85 mph. I know he's really keen to come but there are a few things we have to tie up first before he can actually get on a plane."

Morkel comes from a family with strong cricket links; his father Albert played one List A game for Transvaal B, his eldest brother Albie had a stint with Somerset and has played 10 ODIs for South Africa, while his other brother, Malan, represented South Africa Schools.

In a strange twist, fellow South African all-rounder Tyron Henderson, who played for the Spitfires this time last year, has agreed to join Middlesex and will come up against his old team-mates at Uxbridge on Wednesday, June 27.