Northamptonshire supporters have the perfect Christmas present with news that captain Alex Wakely has agreed a contract extension to keep him at Wantage Road until at least the end of the 2020 season.
Alex – who turned 30 last month – will also continue as skipper in all formats for a fifth year in 2019, ranking him among the longest-serving leaders in the club’s history.
He remains the only man to captain Northamptonshire to two major trophies – the Steelbacks winning the domestic Twenty20 title under his direction in both 2013 and 2016.
“I am buzzing about sticking around at the club I love so much,” he said.
“I have so much more I want to achieve, both individually and as a captain, and I can’t wait to get going next year.
“Lifting those two trophies have been the proudest moments of my career so far and I’ll be doing all I can to bring another one to Wantage Road over the next couple of years.
“After the season we had last year, a lot of things had to change and I now think it’s an exciting time to be involved with Northamptonshire cricket.”
Alex has been the ultimate ‘one-club player’ – emerging through the club’s youth set-up and Academy, and making his first-class debut for the County as an 18-year-old in 2007.
He has now made more than 320 appearances for Northamptonshire in all competitions, scoring nearly 11,000 runs.