Tim Murtagh signs new Middlesex deal

The former Ireland seamer is 17 wickets away from 800 in first-class cricket for Middlesex

Tim Murtagh has signed a new deal to remain at Middlesex until at least the end of the 2022 season.

The 40-year-old has become synonymous with the county since moving from Surrey in 2007, taking more than 40 County Championship wickets in 12 different summers, helping him to amass 783 first-class scalps for Middlesex in that time. Only two bowlers in the country picked up more wickets in 2021.

Murtagh will also take on the club captaincy, continuing in the role he took on in the latter stages of the 2021 campaign once Peter Handscomb had returned home to Australia to prepare for the Sheffield Shield campaign. He led the club to four successive wins in Division Three, before losing the final game against Kent.

Handscomb is due to return in 2022 for the second year of his overseas contract and will skipper Middlesex upon his arrival, with Murtagh filling in if the Australian is delayed.

Murtagh said: “I'm obviously delighted to have extended my association with this great club for another season. It has become a huge part of my life since the move across the river.

^{Tim Murtagh has taken 783 first-class wickets for Middlesex}

“Having finished the season on a high last year I'm already excited about the challenge that the 2022 season holds with this group of players.

“I’m honoured to have been asked to take on extra responsibility with the club captaincy and look forward to aiding Pete Handscomb as much as I can on the field next year.”

Middlesex are currently on the hunt for a new head coach following the sacking of Stuart Law in October.

Alan Coleman, the county’s interim head coach, added: “[Murtagh] is without doubt one of Middlesex’s cricketing greats, and its fantastic news that he’ll be continuing to run in for us from the Nursery End for at least the next year.

“His influence on the rest of the squad cannot be underestimated, and alongside his wickets I’m certain he’ll continue to mentor our younger bowlers as they make their way in the game.”

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