Former captain Joe Leach commits future to Worcestershire

Leach, who relinquished the club captaincy at the end of the 2021 season and had a single year left on his previous deal, made his County Championship debut in 2012

Worcestershire seamer Joe Leach has signed a new three-year contract, ensuring his career at New Road will extend beyond a decade.

Leach, who relinquished the club captaincy at the end of the 2021 season and had a single year left on his previous deal, made his County Championship debut in 2012.

So far, he has taken 368 first-class wickets at 26.51 apiece and passed 3,000 runs in red-ball cricket this summer.

He said: “I’m excited to commit myself to the club for another three years. I feel like I’ve got a lot to give. I don’t see this as being a winding down phase of my career at all. I’ve just come off playing what is probably the best cricket of my career in September, and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in.

“It will be a slightly different role, but one I’m looking forward to in being a senior member in the group.

“It will be slightly different to being captain but one where I can offer my skills as a leader to the group and enjoy the next three years as a minimum period.”

Worcestershire head coach Alex Gidman added: “Joe has been such a consistent performer in first class cricket for several years. He is a great team man and someone who is still very valuable to the group, so delighted he has delighted for a longer period.

“Although Joe is no longer the captain, he will still be a fantastic leader within the group. He will be very prevalent with everything we do, on and off the pitch, and that is really important because he’s had some outstanding experiences as captain. It is crucial we have that core group of experienced players.”

Worcestershire have been busy since the season came to a close; Leach is the fourth seamer to sign a new contract, following Adam Finch, Charlie Morris and Dillon Pennington. They have also added left-armer Ben Gibbon, who played for Cheshire through the summer, former Lancashire batter Taylor Cornall and Warwickshire opener Ed Pollock.

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