The Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) and Ben Mike have reached an agreement whereby he will be released from the Club with immediate effect.
The all-rounder completed one year of a three-year contract at Headingley and has opted to make the switch back to former side Leicestershire County Cricket Club.
The departure comes as Mike has increased his focus on playing across all formats.
Yorkshire Vikings’ Ben Mike celebrates taking the wicket of Derbyshire Falcons’ Luis Reece, during the Vitality Blast – Yorkshire Vikings v Derbyshire Falcons clash at Headingley Stadium, last season.
Darren Gough, Managing Director of Cricket at YCCC, said: “Everyone at Yorkshire CCC wants to express their gratitude for Ben Mike and wish him and his family the best of luck in this new stage.
“Due to Ben not being able to break into the four-day side he understandably wants to push on with his career and give himself the best chance to play all formats.
“The competition for places at Yorkshire has been tough with a big squad and Ben sees this as the best move for him now.
“Ben is a very talented young cricketer, and we wish him well and we would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge his dedication and impact during his time with Yorkshire.”
Yorkshire’s Ben Mike takes the catch of Essex’s Shane Snater during the Cricket – LV=Insurance County Championship – Yorkshire County Cricket Club v Essex County Cricket Club in 2022 at Headingley Stadium.
Mike, aged 25, made 18 competitive first-team appearances for Yorkshire, all but two of them coming in limited overs cricket.
Mike played two LV= Insurance County Championship matches – making his debut for the club, whilst on loan from Leicestershire at the back end of 2022 – against Surrey at the Oval and then his second match was away at Leicestershire in September this year.
A seamer with extra pace and a hard-hitting lower order batter, his standout performance for Yorkshire was 4-40 in the thrilling one-wicket win over Surrey at York in August’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup.
Mike said: “It’s been an honour to represent Yorkshire – and I am very thankful for the opportunity to have played for this great club and want to thank everyone there.
“I am grateful for the fans’ support during my time with Yorkshire and I wish the Club all the best for an exciting 2024. However, I feel this decision is right for me.
“I’m grateful for the return to Leicestershire. It’s an exciting time for the Foxes and I’m looking forward to being back there and I’m ready to kick on with the squad.”
