Martin van Jaarsveld looks set to miss the final week of the season after being forced to fly home to South Africa due to family reasons.

The 35-year-old Kent vice-captain leaves on Monday night and will be unavailable for the Division 2 game against Gloucestershire at Bristol starting on Wednesday, and the Nat West Pro40 match against his former county Northamptonshire Steelbacks at Canterbury next Sunday.

Van Jaarsveld (pictured) is Kent's leading scorer this summer with nearly 1,500 runs in first class cricket, and he made his seventh hundred of the season against Leicestershire at Canterbury last week.

He needed one more to join a select group of players including skipper Rob Key, former captain David Fulton, Frank Woolley and Les Ames.

Speaking from his home in Chartham near Canterbury, Van Jaarsveld confirmed his departure because of a "family emergency".