Yorkshire CCC boosted after Adil Rashid and Gary Ballance strike new deals

Rashid, 33, has penned a new two-year deal to play white-ball cricket, while Ballance, 31, has agreed a three-year extension to play in all formats.

Martyn Moxon, the Yorkshire director of cricket, said: “I am delighted that both players have committed their futures to the club.

“Adil and Gary are very important players to the team, and we look forward to them further contributing for years to come.

“Both players have been at Yorkshire for many years and have played in some of the most high-pressured matches in world cricket.

“Their experience and influence are hugely beneficial to the young squad that we are developing across all three competitions.”

Rashid, the World Cup-winning leg-spinner, concentrates now on the white-ball game.

He has not played a first-class match since January 2019, when he made the last of his 19 Test appearances against West Indies in Barbados.

Rashid’s last first-class appearance for Yorkshire was in September 2017, when he played in the County Championship game against Middlesex at Headingley.

Yorkshire perceive him as a key player in T20, availability permitting, with Rashid making five T20 appearances for the county this summer, his first games for Yorkshire for over two years.

Ballance, who debuted for the county in 2008, averages 47 in both first-class and one-day cricket. The left-hander played 23 Tests and 16 one-day internationals between 2013 and 2017 and remains a key part of Yorkshire’s batting department.