New Essex contract for Matt Critchley

Matt Critchley, last season's Player of the Year, has signed a contract extension to stay at the Club until the end of the 2027 season.

The 27-year-old all-rounder joined Chelmsford from Derbyshire ahead of the 2022 season. He has since made 54 appearances for the Eagles in all formats.

He made his Essex debut at home to Kent and immediately impressed, scoring 132 in the Eagles' first innings before taking four wickets.

Critchley has since scored over 1,400 first-class runs at an average of 31.91, including three centuries, and 527 T20 runs with two fifties.

In an Essex shirt, his leg-breaks have earned him 80 wickets across all formats. Last season, he achieved his career-best shortest-format figures of 5/28 against Middlesex.