Northants sign Matthew Breetzke for Vitality Blast

Northamptonshire have signed South Africa top-order batter Matthew Breetzke for the the upcoming Vitality T20 Blast.

Breetzke, 25, has won three T20I caps for his country but was not named in South Africa's T20 World Cup squad and should be available throughout the group stage alongside Northamptonshire's other overseas signing, Zimbabwe allrounder Sikandar Raza.

"Matt is a very capable batter who will bring power, experience and some real determination to the side," John Sadler, Northamptonshire's head coach, said. "We identified what we wanted to achieve with our overseas signings this year and he fits the profile of exactly the type of player that we wanted to bring in as our second overseas.

"He has been excellent over the last couple of seasons domestically and we've been really impressive so we can't wait to see him this summer."

In a tough market for overseas signings, Breetzke stood out with his domestic T20 form. He was the third-highest run-scorer at the 2023-24 SA20, with 416 at a strike rate of 135.50 for Durban's Super Giants, then topped the list in the recently completed CSA T20 Challenge, with 467 runs for Warriors.

Breetzke said: "I am very excited to join the Steelbacks for the upcoming Vitality Blast and really grateful for the opportunity. I hope to contribute a lot on and off the field during my time at the club."