Dale Steyn joins Melbourne Stars for Big Bash

The South African seamer is available for the first six games of the campaign and will join up following the conclusion of the Mzansi Premier League

Melbourne Stars have confirmed Dale Steyn as their second overseas player for the upcoming Big Bash League.

The 36-year-old is available for the first six matches of the competition, which starts on December 17 and runs until the final on February 8.

Having retired from Test cricket in August in order to focus on the white-ball format, Steyn is also scheduled to represent Cape Town Blitz in the second edition of the Mzansi Premier League.

That tournament begins on November 8 and runs until December 16, concluding four days before the Stars' opening fixture against Brisbane Heat at the Gold Coast.

After a shoulder cut-short his Indian Premier League spell with Royal Challengers Bangalore and ended his World Cup before it even began, Steyn will be desperate to make an impression after nearly five months without a competitive outing.

He was omitted from the South Africa squad for the three-match T20 series in India last month on fitness grounds, despite insisting he was 100 per cent.

South Africa's all-time leading Test wicket-taker averages 21.64 in domestic T20s and has taken 231 wickets at an economy rate of 6.70.