Pace bowler Jack keen to prove he can be the lad for Northants

The 27-year-old joined the club ahead of last summer, but failed to make a single first team appearance due to injuries.

Born in Kendal in the Lake District, White has played minor counties cricket for Cheshire, but has spent a lot of his time playing grade cricket in Australia - which is where he caught the eye of County assistant coach Phil Rowe.

County head coach has likened his style to that of the club's number one paceman, Ben Sanderson, and believes White is the type of player who can have the same impact as Jack Brooks, who was snapped up by the club from Oxfordshire back in 2008.

Brooks went on to shine for Northants and has since starred for Yorkshire and Somerset, and Ripley says of White: ""He was blighted by inuries last season, but luckily we saw just enough just in time at the end of the season, when he was fit and firing, to think he has some potential.

"He is raw, he is fresh, and I think a lot of Jack Brooks when I see him, he has a real hunger for an opportunity, and if he turns out like that then that would be great."

To follow in Brooks' footsteps is obviously something White would like to aspire to, he currently is only interested in making his County and first-class debut.

“Last year was very very frustrating, it was the worst. The whole time I was just thinking I’ll get there, I’ll get there eventually,” said White.

“I’m back fully fit now and hoping to head to New Zealand for a month or two to bowl and keep ticking along with overs, I need to catch up on some lost time from this year.”

Northants always like their cricketers to be versatile and have more than one string to their bow, and White is hoping he can make an impact at the County Ground in white ball cricket as well as the red ball game.

“I’ve always been stronger in white-ball cricket, but that’s in Australia where the ball doesn’t move as much," said White, who joined up with the rest of his Northants team-mates for fitness training this week.

"Obviously, it’s a bit different over here, ideally I’d like to play all three formats.

“I’m not going to get carried away though, just work real hard and see what happens at the start of next year.”