All action all-rounder Matthew Waite has penned a new one-year contract extension, keeping him at Emerald Headingley until the end of 2020.
Leeds-born Waite, who will be 24 come the start of the 2019 campaign, had ankle surgery after missing the second half of 2017 and again spent near to two months on the side-lines in the early stages of 2018.
However, Yorkshire’s Young Player of the Year in 2016 returned impressively and ended the season strongly in the Specsavers County Championship team, playing three out of the last four matches and returning some useful contributions with bat and ball.
He hit 42 and claimed three wickets in the first innings of a high-scoring draw against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge and claimed a miserly 2-16 in the first innings of the following round win over Lancashire at Emerald Headingley, a victory which all but kept Yorkshire in Division One.
“I’m over the moon to sign a new deal and hopefully I can push on from what I’ve done over the past couple of years,” he told yorkshireccc.com. “I’ve had a bit of a taste of first-team cricket and then seem to get injured, so hopefully I can stay fit for a full season and see what happens.
“It was a bad injury. I’ve had an ankle injury before and the physio knew what it was so I was quickly booked in for an operation. I managed to get over that problem, but unfortunately I got another ankle injury this year and the physios weren’t sure exactly what it was themselves as they’d never seen it before. It was quite rare. Obviously, it kept me out for most of the summer, which was pretty tough, but thankfully those days are behind me now.
“I was born in Yorkshire and played all through the age-groups and it’s pleasing to actually represent the White Rose – an absolute privilege. It means a lot, especially with my family’s background, to play for Yorkshire. They’re all incredibly proud.
“It’s always exciting when you get the chance to pull on the shirt and I just love winning for Yorkshire and that’s the main aim for everyone in the squad.”
Waite signed junior professional terms with Yorkshire ahead of 2016, which proved to be an excellent, award-winning summer for the all-rounder, and later extended his deal until the end of 2019.
