Northamptonshire tie down Saif Zaib to contract extension

Ben Smith, Northamptonshire's batting coach, described Zaib, 24, as "everything you want from a county cricketer"

Northamptonshire allrounder Saif Zaib has signed a new contract with the county.

Zaib, who has already made more than 100 appearances for the Wantage Road club, had a year still to run on his previous deal but has now agreed a two-year extension.

He made almost 1,000 runs across formats in 2022 and is also both a useful left-arm spinner and one of the best fielders on the domestic circuit.

Ben Smith, Northamptonshire's batting coach, described Zaib, 24, as "everything you want from a county cricketer".

"Saif brings so many things to the table both as a player and from a team perspective," he said. "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 has developed into a quality allrounder (David Rogers/Getty Images)}

Zaib added: "I think it was role clarity and knowing exactly what I was going to do that really helped my game this year.

"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.

"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."

Zaib was rewarded for his  performances last year with a late call-up to Northern Superchargers' squad during The Hundred.

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