Northants sign van Jaarsveld

Northamptonshire have signed Martin van Jaarsveld as one of their two overseas players for next year.

van Jaarsveld, who was a member of South Africa's NatWest Series one-day squad, will replace Mike Hussey, who is currently Northamptonshire's captain. Hussey announced last week that he intended to take a break from all cricket at the end of the forthcoming Australian season and would not be able to accept the long-term contract which Northants had offered him.

"It has always been an ambition to play county cricket and I am delighted to get this opportunity with Northamptonshire next year," said van Jaarsveld. "I am particularly looking forward to working with Kepler Wessels, who is such an inspirational man. I am sure that with his support and coaching I can develop further as a player."

Wessels, Northamptonshire's first-team manager, admitted he was pleased to have finalised the signing. "Everyone in South African cricket knows that Martin is a very high-class player who has deserved more international recognition than he has received so far," he said. "There were several top-order batsmen from around the world who we considered as a replacement for Mike Hussey next year, but Martin's commitment and desire to succeed gave him the edge in our opinion."