Northamptonshire County Cricket Club are pleased to welcome back former player Rory Kleinveldt as the Club’s new Lead Bowling Coach.

Part of the 2016 T20 Blast winning side, Kleinveldt made 109 appearances for the county across all formats and returns to join the coaching staff in a full time role guiding Northamptonshire’s bowling attack.

“It’s a massive honour and privilege to be back at Northamptonshire in a coaching capacity.” Kleinveldt said.

“I’m really looking forward to connecting with the team and getting stuck into making this a successful summer for Northamptonshire.”

Kleinveldt claimed 217 wickets in his four-year playing stint at Northamptonshire, with a number of memorable displays including a destructive performance against Nottinghamshire in 2017, claiming match figures of 13 for 98.

Familiar with the Wantage Road scenery, Kleinveldt brings a wealth of experience as both a player and coach. The 40-year-old represented his native South Africa as a player across all formats and as Bowling Coach in their limited overs setup. He joins the club in a full time position having left his previous role as Bowling Coach of South African domestic side Western Province.

Visa issues had held back the appointment of Kleinveldt but the 40-year-old has already worked with Northamptonshire’s bowlers in their recent training camp in South Africa.

Head Coach John Sadler was delighted to finally bring Kleinveldt to the club.

“It’s been a long ordeal to get Rory here but we’re delighted to finally bring him in.

“He brings incredible knowledge, experience and has a strong emotional connection to the club which is really important.

“He carries such a strong presence and can really start to get the best out of the bowlers and get them firing straight away.”

Kleinveldt has already begun work with the squad and will be involved in the preparation for their first County Championship fixture against Sussex on 5th April.