Andre Nel will play for Essex for the first month of the 2008 county season while leg-spinner Danish Kaneria stays in Pakistan with his wife, who is expecting their second child.

South African paceman Nel was controversially omitted from the Proteas’ India tour on racial quota grounds but his absence may work in Essex’s favour as they seek to exploit his bowling on typically green, seamer-friendly pitches in April and May.

Nel, 30, who has played for the club in 2005 and 2007, will play from April 16 to May 18 after his commitments with Titans in the Standard Bank Pro20 Series.

“Danish wanted a bit of time at home with his family, which means he misses the first month of the season, and we respect that,” coach Paul Grayson said in a club statement.

“We’ve got a terrific replacement in Andre Nel, although we are unsure as to how long he will be available to us at the moment. This will be Andre’s third spell with us and he’s proved a very popular character in our dressing room, who is comfortable in our environment.

“Early-season pitches tend to be a bit more seamer-friendly, so to have an international-calibre bowler at our disposal is very important. Everyone at Essex is delighted he is coming back and we look forward to him making a positive impact while he is here.”