The Yorkshire County Cricket Club is delighted to announce that emerging batter James Wharton has signed a long-term contract extension to remain at Headingley.
Wharton, who turns 24 at the start of next month, has extended his stay with his home county by another three years, until at least the end of the 2027 season.
The tall right-hander from Huddersfield has now scored three first-team centuries since debuting during the shortened Covid summer of 2020.
He scored one in T20 cricket in 2023 and two in last summer’s Rothesay County Championship promotion-winning campaign, including a remarkable 285 in the end-of-season draw against Northamptonshire at Headingley, a game in which the county sealed their return to Division One.
It was the fifth highest individual first-class score ever at Headingley and the joint-eighth highest in Yorkshire history.
Wharton contributed 833 runs in nine Championship matches last summer – the second-best return in Yorkshire’s squad – and 1,196 runs across all competitions.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com – James Wharton leaves the field at the lunch interval against Northamptonshire which saw him add another 106 runs to his overnight score of 162 not out.
“It’s everything I’ve ever wanted to play for Yorkshire,” he said. “For the club to give me this contract, it feels amazing.
Happy with his progression, Wharton, however, is keen for more.
He continued: “Personally, I’m really happy with how I went and we all went as a squad last season. We’re in a great place. But nobody is looking at themselves and saying, ‘I’ve cracked it’.
“At the end of the day, we’re going into Division One. It will be a different challenge, and we have to be better than what we were last year and in previous years.
“We have to be on top of our game.
“As a whole, we were really good last season. Getting back to Division One was the main aim, and we’re absolutely over the moon with that.
“And we are absolutely raring to go. We just want it to be April now, and we want to go and achieve more.”
Yorkshire’s new general manager of cricket Gavin Hamilton said: “I saw Wharts play a couple of the one-day games last year, and he really impressed me.
“He was in and out of the Championship team for obvious reasons, the England lads being back at the start.
“He’s a really tall lad with such a presence at the crease.
“Him taking this three-year contract is reflective of what we think of him as a person and player and how far we think he’s going to go.
“He’s as good a talent as I’ve seen, and it’s brilliant to have him. Anthony (McGrath, head coach) has said exactly the same.
“He’s a wonderful talent, and it’s just about nurturing that.
“I think he’s one full year in the first team away from getting much higher honours.”
