Agar to return for Northants' Blast quarter-final

Ashton Agar has played 76 times for Australia across all three formats

Northamptonshire have agreed a deal with Ashton Agar for the Australia international off-spinning all-rounder to return to play in their T20 Blast quarter-final against Somerset next month.

Agar joined Northants on a short-term deal in July and played in five group games, taking four wickets with an economy of 8.16 runs per over.

He also struck 64 runs off a total of 37 balls faced in his five innings with the bat, at a strike rate of nearly 173.

"Ashton is in, he's booked to come back and he's incredibly excited," Northants head coach John Sadler told the club website.

"He's off back home to spend some time with his family but then he'll be back with us so we're absolutely delighted with that."

Agar has been playing for Montreal Tigers in the Canadian T20 league and will be back in the UK in time for the last-eight tie in the Blast at home on Thursday, 5 September.

Northants also eyeing Breetzke return

The Steelbacks are also trying to negotiate the return of South Africa batter Matt Breetzke for the visit of the defending champions to Wantage Road.

The right-hander had an outstanding group phase, topping the club's run-scoring chart with 460 runs, including four half-centuries.

Sadler said the club were "hopeful" Breetzke, who is away with his country on their white-ball tour of the West Indies, will come back.

"We’re not sure how that's going to pan out," Sadler said.

"We obviously want to get him back because he’s been brilliant for us but we’ll see how it unfolds.

"I know he’s desperate to come back but he's on the verge of playing for South Africa in all three formats so that’s understandably his main driver.

"I also know that he so wants to come back and play for us that he's happy to fly in, play and fly back out but that is a situation that we’ll have to negotiate with Cricket South Africa."