Saif Zaib will remain at Northamptonshire until at least the end of 2025.

The all-rounder has signed a new two-year extension to his contract which still had a year to run.

“It’s a nice feeling that the club have shown that faith to lock me in for an extra couple of years.” Zaib said.

“I feel really honoured to represent Northamptonshire and privileged every time I get to step out on the field as a Steelback.”

Originally a member of the Northamptonshire Academy, the 24-year-old has gone on to make more than 100 appearances for the county across all formats.

Batting Coach Ben Smith said Zaib was ‘everything you want in a county cricketer’.

“Saif brings so many things to the table both as a player and from a team perspective. He’s a very versatile batter but beyond that he trains hard and sets a great example to others with his preparation.

“He’s an extremely important part of our team.”

Zaib found a place in Northamptonshire’s side in all formats in 2022, compiling close to 1000 runs and believed knowing a clear role helped him deliver.

“I think it was role clarity and knowing exactly what I was going to do that really helped my game this year.” Zaib said.

“It was nice to have a place further up the order, particularly in the T20s. For the last couple of years I’ve been batting lower down so having a bit more time to build an innings as opposed to coming out with 10 balls left was great.”

Northamptonshire Head Coach John Sadler rated Zaib highly in all three formats.

“Saif is an excellent cricketer and his attitude is superb.” Sadler said.

“He’s a genuine team player who can adjust his style to the best needs of the team in any given situation and I can see a lot of success for him over the next few years.”

Heading into the new season, Zaib’s focus was clear.

“The goal is obviously to score as many runs as I can but also for us to win trophies as a group.

“Over last couple of years as a team we haven’t played to our full potential, but you could see things changing this year so I feel really confident we can bring some silverware back to Wantage Road soon.”

Lock in your place at The County Ground for 2023! Season Tickets are now available to order online.