Sri Lanka paceman Dilhara Fernando has been drafted in by Worcestershire for the remainder of the season.

The New Road outfit have been hit by injuries of late and officials have moved to bolster the attack as they continue their push for the County Championship Division Two title.

The 29-year-old is expected to fly to England in time for the Pears' NatWest Pro40 clash with Hampshire at the Rose Bowl on Saturday.

"With the loss of Simon Jones, Kabir Ali and Matt Mason I have been looking for a quality overseas replacement as we want to finish the season on a high," said director of cricket, Steve Rhodes.

"It does mean we have to de-register Imran Arif who has done a wonderful job for us. Hopefully he will be back with us next season as a qualified player.

"The Sri Lankan Cricket Board has been very helpful as they want Dilhara to play some cricket rather than rest. It has been a rush to get the paperwork in place but we are just about there."