Northants head coach John Sadler keen to keep hold of key players

Seam bowler White, who was Northants’ leading wicket-taker in red ball cricket last summer, has signed a new one-year extension that will see him stay at the County Ground until at least the end of the 2025 season.

He joins the likes of David Willey, Rob Keogh, Saif Zaib, Ben Sanderson, James Sales and new signings George Bartlett and George Scrimshaw in committing to the club beyond the end of the 2024 campaign.

That said, there are several of the current squad whose deals will run out at the end of next summer, including plenty of key players, but Sadler admits he wants to keep hold of everyone in the current group, and is hopeful they will also be committing to the cause for longer.

"The squad that we have got, we want them all to stay," said Sadler, who has been head coach at Wantage Road since David Ripley stepped down from the role at the end of the 2021 season.

"Pretty much everybody that is in in the squad now I have either signed or have re-signed, so I very much want them around, and I want them part of it.

"Such is the nature of the game, there are always contracts coming up and you are only ever really a couple of years safe in professional sport.

"And it is the nature of the beast that there are people who are out of contract again.

"But hopefully they can all do well and we can keep them going longer."

Sadler is currently in America, where he is coaching the Clarion County Eagles in the US Open T20 tournament.

The Eagles won the first of their three group games when they saw off Tigers by 97 runs, with a star turn from Steelbacks all-rounder Saif Zaib, who has joined Sadler in Florida.

Zaib top-scored with 67 from 35 balls, hitting 11 fours and one six, as the Eagles totalled 214 for eight at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Miami.

The left-arm spinner then took two for 10 from two overs as Tigers were bowled out for 117.

The Eagles are due back in action on Monday evening when they take on a Dallas All Stars team that includes former Northants captain Adam Rossington in their ranks.

They then wrap up their Group A campaign with a match against Kingsmen next Tuesday.