England Lion Adam Lyth has committed his future to county champions Yorkshire by signing a three-year contract extension.
The opening batsman, an integral member of the White Rose’s LV= County Championship-winning side in 2014, will stay at Headingley until at least December 2018.
The 27-year-old topped the Division One run-charts with 1,489 last term, averaging 67.68, including six hundreds and the same amount of fifties, a run of form that saw him claim both the PCA and William Hill Cricket Writers’ Club Championship Player of the Year awards.
Yorkshireman Lyth, born in Whitby, said: “I am delighted to be committing my long-term future to Yorkshire.
“It has been an incredible year for me and I just want to keep on improving. To play for this club is very special and to contribute to our recent success is why we play.
“I dream of winning trophies for Yorkshire and after winning the championship, I firmly believe this will be first of many.”
Lyth was also part of the England Performance Programme’s batting and spin camp in Sri Lanka before joining up with the Lions for the tour of South Africa.
After hitting a century in their warm-up clash with a Gauteng Invitational XI, he also struck a half-century in the second four-day game against South Africa A.
“I have enjoyed playing with the England Lions this winter and I have a strong desire to play for England senior side, hopefully sooner rather than later,” he added.
“As a cricketer, you want to test yourself against the best. I would love to play for England. All I can do is work hard, continue to score runs and put myself in the minds of the selectors.
“I try not to think too much about that. All I want to do is play to my best and help Yorkshire continue to prosper.”
Lyth is the 11th player Yorkshire have tied down since ending their 13-year wait for a four-day title, and director of cricket Martyn Moxon said: “It was really easy to get Adam signed up for the long-term.
“He wanted to extend his contract and be part of our plans over the next few years. Lythie has always had a lot of natural talent. What we are seeing now is a growing maturity about his batting.
“He is potentially close to an England call-up, which is testament to his ability as one of the country’s leading players.
“The way he adapts to different situations is his biggest strength. We have seen him play a number of quality innings where he has had to work hard and apply himself.
“His ability to accumulate big runs was a factor in his success and we can expect another big year from him in 2015.”