Northerns batsman Leus du Plooy has signed a two-year contract with Derbyshire in English county cricket.

Du Plooy, who played for the Cricket South Africa Invitation XI against the touring Sri Lankans earlier this year, has joined Derbyshire on a two-year contract.

‘Derbyshire have signed South African batsman Leus du Plooy on a two-year deal, committing him to the club until the end of 2020,’ read a statement from the club.

‘A promising middle-order batsman, the 24-year-old joins Derbyshire on a Kolpak deal and will be available for all formats, subject to final approvals.’

The talented right-hander also represented the South African Emerging Players – and earlier this month struck a superb century for Northerns in the drawn CSA 3-Day Provincial Cup final against Eastern Province at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth.

‘I am looking forward to getting started with Derbyshire. I’ve wanted to play in England for a while, so I’m delighted to finally be here and get straight into the season,’ Du Plooy told Derbyshire Cricket’s official website.

‘The squad have made a good start to the summer and I want to score runs and do well for the team, so hopefully we can get more wins for Derbyshire.’

Head coach Dave Houghton added: ‘I am delighted to have Leus here because we’ve been monitoring his progress for a while now and been very impressed with what we’ve seen.

‘He will strengthen our depth alongside the talented home-grown middle order that we already have, and his recent form speaks for itself, so I’m looking forward to see what he can do for Derbyshire.’

The 24-year-old Du Plooy will play alongside former KwaZulu-Natal cricketers Wayne Madsen and Daryn Smit at Derbyshire.

Photo: Getty Images