South Australia have signed Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi for Australia's domestic Twenty20 competition in January.

Afridi played a key role in Pakistan's World Twenty20 success in England earlier this year, and has been drafted in by the Redbacks as a replacement for Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis.

South Australia had originally announced Mendis as their overseas player in July, but he became unavailable after Sri Lanka scheduled their tri-series with India and Bangladesh for the same time as the Big Bash.

"We narrowly missed out on finals last season and these signings are definitely a boost to our quest to qualify for the Champions League this year," South Australia Cricket Association high performance manger Jamie Cox said.

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"I have made no secret of the fact that I view the Big Bash competition as the most commercial on the domestic calendar and the inaugural Airtel Champions League Twenty20 also provides fantastic opportunities for young players to showcase their skills on the world stage."

Afridi joins the likes of Dwayne Bravo (Victoria), Chris Gayle (Western Australia) and Lasith Malinga (Tasmania) as high-profile overseas recruits for the Big Bash competition, which provides the two Australian entrants to the lucrative ICC Champions League Twenty20.

New South Wales last week won in the inaugural event held in India and pocketed US$2.5 million.

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