MARTYN MOXON has highlighted Duanne Olivier’s commitment to the Yorkshire cause as he prepares to make his county debut this weekend.

Olivier will face Leeds/Bradford MCC Universities in the three-day first-class fixture, starting on Sunday at Weetwood.

The 26-year-old has signed a three-year contract with the White Rose after retiring from international cricket with South Africa.

Olivier took 31 wickets in five Tests this winter, and his decision to move to Emerald Headingley has been a significant talking point in world cricket.

His first wicket for Yorkshire will be the 400th of his first-class career.

Yorkshire director of cricket Moxon said: "We are delighted to have him here.

"We have a wicket-taker who bowls with genuine pace. He will give us a different dimension.

"I think the commitment he’s shown to want to play for Yorkshire over what has been quite a long process - being picked for the Test series and coming under quite a lot of pressure from South Africa to stay - has been very impressive.

“He’s a massively impressive young man who knows where he wants to get to. He’s put a lot on the line in making the decision he has.”

Moxon, speaking at Yorkshire’s AGM last Saturday, explained the reasons why the club have signed Olivier, their first Kolpak player since Jacques Rudolph, who left Headingley at the end of the 2010 season.

“The ability side is a big part of his signing,” said Moxon.

"But also, with the back injuries for Matthew Fisher and David Willey and with injuries for pretty much all our other young seamers over the last couple of years, we need to manage their workloads to make sure they’re playing and playing enough for their bodies to get used to the daily rigours of bowling seam in county cricket.

“His addition gives us the ability to manage that closely.

“We now have a strong group of seamers, which you need to challenge on all three fronts.”

Another man who is delighted to have Olivier on board is captain Steve Patterson.

“To get a Test cricketer at the peak of his game, 26 years old with his best years ahead of him, I think it’s a real statement and a bright point for us to look forward to,” he said.

“We’ve lost a wicket-taker in Jack Brooks, someone who made a huge contribution to the first team, and we needed to replace that.

“The young lads we’ve got are not quite ready to have that pressure on them. They’ve got to come in and play a number of games and let their bodies develop.”

After an in-out start to his international career, Olivier impressed greatly during Test series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka either side of Christmas.

“I’ll be honest, I didn’t know that much about him when he came onto the radar,” added Patterson.

“When we had discussions and knew he might be interested, you start to take a bit more notice.

“I saw the success he had with South Africa, and I sat there thinking, ‘Does he definitely want to give that up to play county cricket?’ But it’s a decision he’s made, and it’s one we’re delighted with.

“We’ll welcome him with open arms and make him feel a big part of the club. Hopefully he’ll have a lot of enjoyable years at Yorkshire.”