Yorkshire have signed England batsman Dawid
Malan to a four-year deal following the 32-year-old’s decision to step down as
Middlesex captain at the end of last season.
Malan, who had been with Middlesex since 2006,
signed a new deal with the club back in January that should have seen him stay
on for an additional two years. However, according to BBC
Sport, the veteran asked to be released from his contract and is now
set to continue his career with Yorkshire.
Whilst on duty with the England T20 squad in New Zealand, Malan
claimed to be excited at the prospect of joining a new team, having felt that
it was time to move on.
“This feels like the right time to start
a new adventure, and I am excited by the prospect of joining another great
club,” he said.
“I have enjoyed 13 happy and successful
years at Middlesex, and I am hugely grateful to everyone at the club – staff,
players and supporters – for their support during this period. I am privileged
to have played for so long.
“I am looking forward to moving to Leeds
and starting a new chapter of my career.”
The batsman has scored 11,229 first-class
runs, which includes 724 in 15 test series. He was unable to help pull
Middlesex back up as they slumped to third-bottom of the County Championship’s
Second Division last term, winning just three times.
Malan hit 1,005 runs in all competitions
during the season, one of just four players to score 1,000 runs or more. And
he’s likely to strengthen a Yorkshire side keen on snagging the County
Championship title after last winning it in 2015.
“It is fair to say that we have lacked
consistency with the bat for a number of years,” Yorkshire coach Andrew Gale
admitted. “We have looked at bringing people in for a while, but it had to fit
the right mould for us.”
Yorkshire are 7/1 to win the division with Skybet
at the moment, with Essex the current favorite at 10/3. Betfair’s offering 5/1
odds on Somerset laying claim to the title at the end of the campaign while
Surrey is also 5/1 with Betvictor. Hampshire have been attached to odds of 6/1
by Paddy Power, who are also offering the same on Lancashire. Kent and
Warwickshire are at 12/1 and 11/1 with Betway respectively.
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Where T20 competition is concerned, Bet365
have England at 9/2 to win the tournament outright. Australia are the
favourite, though, with Skybet offering odds of 3/1 on their campaign. And
India are also favoured over England at 4/1 with Ladbrokes, who have New Zeland
at 6/1 and South Africa at 8/1. The West Indies are 13/2 with William Hill.
