County cricket news: Ben Duckett signs new deal with Northamptonshire
Rising star Ben Duckett has committed his future to Northamptonshire until the end of 2018.
Duckett is perhaps the hottest property in English cricket at present after a breakthrough summer in which he has made more than 1,300 first-class runs and excelled too in both white-ball formats and for England Lions
The 21-year-old has been rewarded with his first call-up for his country, for both England's Test and one-day international tours of Bangladesh.
Duckett, who played a starring role in Northamptonshire's NatWest T20 Blast success, was an obvious target for other counties but has signed a new contract extension.
He said "The opportunities that I have had at Northamptonshire have enabled me to gain invaluable game time resulting in an amazing year for me.
"I intend to make the most of playing for my country, which is a dream come true, but I'm looking forward to coming back to Wantage Road and building on Northamptonshire's success."
Northants head coach David Ripley added: "We are delighted that Ben has once again committed himself to Northamptonshire.
"It's good to end the speculation about what his next move might be, but he is loyal and appreciates the experience he has gained here. We are all looking forward to watching Ben progress with the England team and to winning more silverware for his club next year and beyond."