Ripley’s delight as Kleinveldt agrees to return to Northants

Rory Kleinveldt will be returning to Northants in 2016 (picture: Kirsty Edmonds)

Kleinveldt was last season’s player of the year, having made a huge impact across all forms of the game.

The South African all-rounder took 79 wickets and chipped in with 560 runs during a stellar campaign, which saw Northants reach the final of the NatWest T20 Blast.

And head coach David Ripley is delighted that the 32-year-old will be back for more next season.

“Rory will play an important role next season,” Ripley said.

“He is respected by the rest of the squad and helped push us over the line in a few games this year and was our leading wicket taker.

“He was voted as our County Championship player of the year and players’ player too, which shows just how popular he is in the changing room.

“We are looking forward to having him back.”

And Kleinveldt, who has been playing in South Africa’s Ram Slam Challenge, said: “I’m really pleased to be heading back to Northampton next year.

“This summer was a great season for the club with some really exciting matches and we came so close on finals day.

“I’m hoping we can do one better in 2016!”

Kleinveldt’s decision to commit to Northants comes on the back of the re-signings of other stars such as Steven Crook, who penned a new three-year deal last week, and Richard Levi.

Ben Duckett, Rob Keogh and Azharullah also agreed to extend their deals at the County Ground earlier this year.