England international David Willey has signed a three-year contract extension which will keep the Yorkshire all-rounder at the club until 2022.
The decision comes only weeks after narrowly missing out on a World Cup spot despite the variety his left-arm bowling provides.
The left-arm seamer, who has 178 First Class wickets to his name at an average just above 30, had a contract set to expire at the end of this season before the extension.
“With things moving forward, it’s really nice that I’m going to be here for an extended period and hopefully I’m around and can contribute to some silverware.
“From a personal point of view, I feel very settled up here in Yorkshire, I’ve got my family here and we’ve recently moved house. I’m very settled.”
The former Northamptonshire player left his boyhood club with the ambition of making it into the England Test squad. However, until now, Willey has gone on to play 74 limited-overs internationals without making a Test debut.
Willey’s move to Yorkshire was seen by many as a signing aimed primarily at addressing the lack of recent limited-overs success for the county.
Whilst the county have reached two semi-finals and a quarter-final in four attempts in the Royal London One Day Cup since Willey arrived they have been unable to replicate those results in the shortest format.
However, Willey, 29, remains clear of his passion for the four-day game. “It’s the hard-fought wins and the ebb and flow of four-day cricket that gives you that joy, that winning feeling that we experienced against Surrey.”
Yorkshire Director of Cricket, Martyn Moxon, also highlighted the value of retaining David Willey.
“He’s a three-dimensional cricketer across all three formats and will be a crucial member of the squad going forward as we develop. He’ll be an integral part of the squad going forward and a key member.”
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