Durham tie allrounder Ben Raine to new deal

Raine is in his second spell with Durham after a stint at Leicestershire

Durham allrounder Ben Raine has extended his contract with his home county until at least the end of the 2025 campaign.

Raine, an academy product, was released by Durham before joining Leicestershire in 2013, but he returned in 2019 as part of a rebuilding phase and a push to revive the club's fortunes.

The Sunderland native has been a pivotal player since then in the County Championship and T20 Blast; he has represented Northern Superchargers in The Hundred.

He described himself as "over the moon" to be renewing his deal, adding: "I would love to finish my career at Durham and I'm not getting any younger, so hopefully this can take me closer to that goal – as I look forward to seeing what we can achieve in the coming years."

^{Raine returned to Durham from Leicestershire in 2019 (Stu Forster/Getty Images)}

Raine first represented Durham's first team in 2011 but most of his work for the county has come in his second spell.

He has now taken 159 first-class wickets for the club and hit his maiden red-ball century against Worcestershire last summer in a high-scoring draw at Chester-le-Street. His solitary T20 hundred – 113 against Birmingham Bears – remains the second-fastest by an Englishman in the Blast.

Marcus North, Durham's director of cricket, added: "It is fantastic news that Ben has committed a further three years to Durham. He is an integral part of our club and will play a key role in our success in the coming years. Ben's experience in all formats and his consistency year-in-year-out is an asset to Durham."

It is the latest piece of business in a busy off-season for the county, who have brought in Ollie Robinson as wicketkeeper from Kent and have appointed Ryan Campbell as James Franklin's replacement as head coach.

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