Johan Botha signs for Northants

South Africa's Twenty20 captain, Johan Botha, has joined Northamptonshire for their 2011 t20 campaign.

Botha, 28, has represented South Africa in 70 ODIs and 26 Twenty20s, in which he has claimed 92 wickets and scored over 650 runs, and the highlight of his career came in January 2009, when he led South Africa to a 4-1 series win in Australia, in the absence of an injured Graeme Smith.

"Nicky Boje told me what a wonderful set-up there is at Northants and how great the people are," said Botha. "I cant wait to play there and make a contribution to the team."

Head Coach David Capel said of Botha: "I'm delighted we have been successful in recruiting Johan as a quality spin bowling all-rounder for our 2011 t20 campaign."

"It is well recognised the level of impact an experienced spinner can have on a t20 match, you just have to look at what Nicky Boje did for us. This is the right signing for the club and Johan will be a major asset to us through his ultra competitiveness, skill sets and experience."

Chief Executive Mark Tagg added: "We are extremely fortunate to have captured the signature of Johan Botha for the entire 2011 Friends Provident t20 campaign. We have a record in this competition of which we are very proud, and this signing will help us field a team to match up with the club's and our supporter's expectations."