NEW Zealand batsman Kane Williamson is back at Headingley ahead of a busy few months which could see him claim a second LV= County Championship title with Yorkshire.

The county’s overseas star is training with the White Rose squad ahead of his country’s limited overs tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa next month.

He leaves for Africa in the next ten days before returning to Yorkshire at the end of August to replace Glenn Maxwell for the last four Championship matches and hopefully the semi-finals and final of the Royal London One-day Cup.

Williamson watched Yorkshire’s Twenty20 defeat to Worcestershire on Tuesday, and has been netting with his county colleagues of three seasons.

“I’ve been here on holiday, basically,” said Williamson, 24, who played in New Zealand’s Test and limited-overs series against England, which finished on June 23.

“I thought I’d stay on. My partner’s here, so I thought I’d have a little bit of a holiday.

“Now I’m back training with the guys before I leave to go to South Africa and Zimbabwe.

“We are due to fly out around July 23, and then I will return here in late August to start with Yorkshire.

“After a couple of weeks off, I’ve just started getting back into work, getting involved with the lads and preparing for our series.

“It’s great for me being here. I have been able to face pretty much our first-team bowling attack in the nets, which is lucky. Hopefully I can get a few more hits in and be ready to get on the plane.

“Martyn Moxon (Yorkshire director of cricket) and Jason Gillespie (head coach) have been brilliant with me, organising some training.”

Williamson was involved in an early summer battle with England that will be fondly remembered for many reasons - a high-scoring one-day series and Adam Lyth’s maiden Test century at Headingley, to name but two.

“If someone had to get one, I suppose Lythy was the man because he is a team-mate. He played really well, and his hundred was just an extension of how he’s been going in the last year or two,” added the Kiwi.

Yorkshire are back in NatWest T20 Blast action against third-placed Northamptonshire at Wantage Road tonight.

It is their penultimate North Division fixture, and one which will almost certainly have little bearing on the final standings given they are all but out of quarter-final contention with only four wins from 12.

Defeat against Worcester at Headingley earlier this week was a hammer blow to their hopes.

They can still mathematically make the quarter-finals given they are three points behind fourth-placed Lancashire with four points to play, but their net run-rate is significantly worse and there are three other teams between them and their Roses rivals.

Yorkshire’s last match is against North Division leaders and already qualified Birmingham Bears at Headingley next Friday.

“It's disappointing because it's a fun game to play in, and we've got such a talented bunch of players. We need to learn and get better,” said fast bowler Liam Plunkett.

“It's a good chance to practise against some good players and against teams that can still qualify or have qualified in Birmingham's case. Brendon McCullum is there, so that will be a good test.

“A couple of wins and we'll have some momentum into the 50-overs.”

Yorkshire (v Northants): from Bairstow, Carver, Coad, Craddock, Fisher, Gibson, Leaning, Lees, Maxwell, Plunkett, Rhodes, Wainman, Waite.