The Donemana-born batsman has been given a two-year contract with Gloucestershire after spending a season on trial with the western county.

Porterfield follows fellow World Cup stars Eoin Morgan (at Middlesex), Boyd Rankin (Derbyshire) and Niall O'Brien (Northamptonshire) onto the county circuit and while it is good news for the 22-year-old, who has been playing his club cricket for Rush, it means Ireland are likely to need an opening batsman next season for the Friends Provident Trophy campaign when, if the same format is retained, Gloucestershire will be one of the nine counties in Ireland's group.

Porterfield, who made his highest score for Ireland, 166, in last week's Inter-Continental Cup tie against Bermuda, is currently playing in a 2nd XI game against MCC Young Cricketers at Cheltenham.

A product of the acclaimed Ireland youth system, Porterfield is seen as the next Ireland captain.

He has finished the calendar year with 1,038 international runs, almost 300 more than his nearest rival, at an average of 39.92. His innings against Bermuda was his fourth century for Ireland and his third in 2007.