Saif Zaib puts pen to paper on new deal with Northamptonshire

Already tied down until the end of next summer, the 24-year-old has put pen to paper on a new deal that means he will playing at Wantage Road until at least the end of the 2025 campaign.

Having originally come through the Academy at the County Ground, Zaib made his debut for the club as a 15-year-old, playing in a non first-class fixture at Durham UCCE in May, 2014.

He then went on to make his competitive debut in a Royal London Cup matches the following summer, and he has become a key cricketer in all formats for the County.

“It’s a nice feeling that the club have shown that faith to lock me in for an extra couple of years,” said Zaib, who won't turn 25 until May.

“I feel really honoured to represent Northamptonshire and privileged every time I get to step out on the field as a Steelback.”

The 2022 season was a strong one for Zaib, particularly with the bat.

He scored a second first-class century as well as a further half-century in red ball cricket, and he also reached three figures in the Royal London One Day Cup, hammering 136 against Essex at the County Ground on August.

He shone brightest in the Vitality T20 Blast though where he was the club's third highest run-scorer behind run machine Chris Lynn and skipper Josh Cobb.

Zaib, who is also one of the best fielders in the squad, hit three half-centuries, with a top score of 92, as he hit 311 runs at an average of 34.55 and with a strike-rate of 151.

In all, he hit just shy of 900 runs in all competitions and the player believes having a clear role in the team, in whatever competition, helped him deliver.

“I think it was role clarity and knowing exactly what I was going to do that really helped my game last year,” said Zaib.

“It was nice to have a place further up the order, particularly in the T20s.

"For the last couple of years I’ve been batting lower down so having a bit more time to build an innings as opposed to coming out with 10 balls left was great.”