Proteas batter Rickelton set for short County Championship stint with Northamptonshire

Proteas batter Ryan Rickelton will join Northamptonshire for a short stint in the County Championship.

Rickelton, who made his Test debut for South Africa against Bangladesh in March, will be available for two fixtures against Warwickshire and Kent.

Though it was only a short stint, the 25-year-old left-hander was looking forward to the opportunity.

"I have always wanted to play county cricket, and to be part of such a well-rounded, strong group is brilliant, and I look forward to hopefully contributing to the side's success in the County Championship," he told the Northampton website. 

With ten first-class centuries to his name, Rickelton has amassed nearly 3,000 runs in red-ball cricket at an impressive average of 50.38.  

Northampton captain Ricardo Vasconcelos said Rickelton was a positive batsman, and he looked forward to spending time out in the middle with him. 

"I'm delighted to have Ryan join us for a couple of games, we've known each other since we were little, so I'm looking forward to hopefully getting to bat together for Northamptonshire," Vasconcelos said.

"He's a really positive batsman. He plays his shots and has scored a lot of runs in the last couple of years. He got off the mark in test cricket with a reverse sweep, I think, so that tells you a bit about him."

Rickelton's first game will be against Warwickshire on Sunday.