Leicestershire Foxes have announced the signing of Umar Akmal for part of the T20 Blast.

Grant Elliott will be unavailable for four games from June 12 due to his inclusion in the New Zealand squad to meet England in the limited-overs series, and Leicestershire have turned to Pakistan batsman Akmal to fill the void.

"It is brilliant that we are signing a player of Umar's quality," head coach Andrew McDonald said in a statement on Wednesday.

"We are all looking forward to him showcasing his skills over the four games."

Akmal has played 16 Tests and 111 one-day internationals for Pakistan.