Veteran spinner Tom Smith signs Gloucestershire contract extension

Smith, who completed a decade's service to the Bristol county in 2022, has signed on until the end of 2024

Gloucestershire spinner Tom Smith has signed a contract extension with the county, taking the veteran through to the end of the 2024 season.

Smith completed a decade's service at Bristol in 2022, having started his career at Sussex before moving onto Middlesex, and remains a key figure in the county's white-ball setup; he sits third on Gloucestershire's all-time Blast wicket-taking list.

He took 15 T20 Blast wickets in 2022 and a further 10 in the Royal London Cup.

Off the field, Smith, a roundly respected figure, is already qualified as a Level Four coach and has worked with the club's second team and academy sides.

"I feel very honoured to have extended my contract at this great club," said Smith. "The opportunity to continue playing whilst developing as a coach is a very exciting phase of my career and one that I am very grateful for."

^{Smith, 35, remains a consistent performer for Gloucestershire (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)}

He added his gratitude to head coach Dale Benkenstein and performance director Steve Snell for allowing him to focus on his coaching qualifications.

Benkenstein added: "It's great to have Tom's commitment for the next few seasons and experience around the club from a spin bowling point of view. His mentoring is important for all our young spinners and to Zafar Gohar as a left-arm spinner also.

"His value is not only on the playing field but off the field too so it's great to have him extend his contract with the club."

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