Experienced all-rounder Gareth Berg signs new Northants deal

Experienced all-rounder Gareth Berg has agreed a one-year contract extension at Northamptonshire.

The 41-year-old has signed a new contract that will see him remain at Wantage Road until the end of the 2023 season.

Berg first joined Northants on loan from Hampshire in the summer of 2019, before penning a permanent deal the following winter.

He signed a one-year contract extension midway through the 2021 season, and has now ensured he will be a Northants player for a further 12 months, despite barely featuring for the club for much of last summer.

Splitting his time between his his player-coaching role with the Italian national team and the County, Berg's appearance in the LV= Insurance County Championship clash with Essex in the final week of September was his first for the Northants first team since mid-May.

But with Northamptonshire once again set to feature in the top flight of English cricket next season having finished sixth in the table in 2022, head coach John Sadler has pointed to the importance of having somebody of Berg's vast experience in the County camp.

“Bergy is just an excellent, seasoned professional and I’m delighted he’s committed to us for another year,” said Sadler.

“His experience, his attitude and the approach he brings to the game are superb and he made some crucial contributions with bat and ball for us this season.”

Despite his limited appearances in 2022, Berg's numbers were pretty good, claiming 13 wickets at 38.84 apiece in his six matches played, as well as scoring 207 runs at an average of 29.57, with a top score of 75.

The South African-born player has now played 148 first-class matches in a career that has lasted 16 years, having made his senior debut for Middlesex at the age of 27 - initially having played for Northants IIs after moving from Cape Town to the UK in 2004.