Northants Steelbacks have re-signed South Africa opener Richard Levi to play limited-overs cricket this summer.
The 26-year-old will feature in all 14 of the Steelbacks’ NatWest T20 Blast games and eight Royal London One-Day Cup fixtures this season.
Levi scored 360 runs, including the highest score of the tournament with a match-winning 110 not out against Gloucestershire, as Northants won the 2013 Friends Life t20.
Northamptonshire have also announced that Australia’s Jackson Bird has signed a revised contract that sees him playing in the first six, rather than 10, LV= County Championship matches but no limited-overs cricket.
Bird's new deal was agreed with Cricket Australia and allows the 27-year-old seamer to manage his work load and have pre-season in Australia in July and August.
Northants chief executive David Smith said: “Richard made a big impression last summer in t20 cricket, with match-winning innings at Cheltenham, Worcester and in the semi-final match against Essex.
“He gives us the necessary fire power in the first six overs that are so vital to posting a competitive score in t20 cricket.
“Jackson's original contract was for 10 LV= County Championship and seven NatWest T20 Blast matches. The reduced schedule will see the club try and secure a second overseas bowler, for a further six LV=CC games.
“Our aim is to find someone that will be able to play in both the NatWest T20 Blast and LV= County Championship. David Ripley is currently drawing up a shortlist of potential overseas players.”
The club have also announced that one-day skipper Alex Wakely has sustained an Achilles’ injury during the first game on the club’s pre-season tour to Barbados.
The batsman has returned to the UK with the physiotherapist Barry Goudriaan and will see a specialist in London to get a full diagnosis of the extent of the injury.