Saif setting sights on securing Steelbacks silverware

The 24-year-old all-rounder has committed to the Wantage Road club until the end of summer 2025, which if he goes the distance will see him notch up 10 years as a County player.

Zaib was just 15 when he made his first team debut in a non-competitive fixture at Durham UCCE in 2014, before making his competitive Northants debut the following summer in the Royal London One Day Cup.

So he was at the club when Alex Wakely led the Steelbacks to their T20 Blast win over Durham at Edgbaston in 2016.

That was the most recent time Northants claimed a trophy, and Zaib feels it is high time that seven-year barren run came to an end.

The team has shown flashes of what it is capable of without threatening to go on an claim a prize, and Zaib believes it is time he and his team-mates showed their 'full potential'.

“The goal now is obviously to score as many runs as I can but also for us to win trophies as a group," said Zaib after the news of his new deal was announced.

“Over last couple of years as a team we haven’t played to our full potential.

"But you could see things changing last year, so I feel really confident we can bring some silverware back to Wantage Road soon.”

If Northants are to do that, it is likely that Zaib, a genuine three-dimensional cricketer who bats, bowls and fields superbly, will play a major role.

Something both head coach John Sadler and the club's batting coach Ben Smith fully appreciate.

“Saif is an excellent cricketer and his attitude is superb,” said Sadler.

“He’s a genuine team player who can adjust his style to the best needs of the team in any given situation and I can see a lot of success for him over the next few years.”

Smith meanwhile believes Zaib has ‘everything you want in 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.”