DURHAM have completed the signing of South African duo Farhaan Behardien and David Bedingham ahead of the 2020 season.

Behardien, a middle-order batsman, has called time on his international career with South Africa in order to sign a two-year deal at Emirates Riverside, having previously represented his country in ODIs and T20s.

The 36-year-old has been part of the South African squad for four World Cups, and has amassed 6,794 first-class runs with an unbeaten 150 representing his highest score at first-class level.

He has spent 14 seasons with the Momentum Multiply Titans, and was his side’s leading run scorer in first-class cricket in the last year. Having notched 591 runs in the last 12 months, he joins Durham on the back of a successful year in South Africa.

“Behardien is such an experienced cricketer and with the young group of players we have in the squad he will help them develop their all-round game,” said Durham director of cricket Marcus North. “When Dale Benkenstein and Michael Di Venuto joined the club, it wasn’t just their performances on the field, it was the knowledge and experience they passed on to young players.

“The likes of Mark Stoneman and Scott Borthwick’s development was influenced through that exposure and we see this being a very important role for Behardien.

“We are delighted to have him at Durham and are excited to welcome him to Emirates Riverside come the start of the season.”

Behardien added: “Signing for Durham comes at an exciting time in my career, I have loved representing South Africa for many years, but now is the time to explore a new chapter.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for me to support Durham’s ambitions and play a key role moving forward in their success. I look forward to joining up with the squad during their pre-season tour.”

Bedingham, a 25-year-old batsman, joins Durham on a season-long deal, having played a range of first-class cricket in South Africa.

He has represented South Africa at Under-19s level, and follows in the footsteps of Durham team-mates Brydon Carse and Gareth Harte, who also opted for careers in England.

“It is great to add another young promising batsman to the Durham squad,” said North. “David has made the decision to move and live in the UK to pursue a career in England and we look forward to seeing him develop.”

Both players will join up with the squad for the first time during Durham’s pre-season tour in March.