County cricket news: Hampshire show faith in Reece Topley with new contract after injury setbacks

Reece Topley has signed a contract extension with Hampshire that will see the left-arm seamer remain with the south coast county until at least the end of the 2018 season.

Topley endured a first season to forget at the Ageas Bowl, having switched from Essex last year, breaking his hand while batting on debut before a more serious stress fracture to his back ruled him out for the rest of the campaign.

He has not played since last April but has now made a full recovery and his reaction to overcoming his injury setbacks have impressed the Hampshire hierarchy.

Director of cricket Giles White saying: "We are delighted Reece has committed to the club.

"His attitude to his rehab has been outstanding and it is great to see him bowling again; we are confident that he will be a key player over the coming years."

The 23-year-old was starting to establish himself in England's limited-overs sides prior to his lengthy absence and has featured in 10 one-day and six Twenty20 internationals.

He was part of the squad that reached the final of last year's World T20 in India, playing in the first two games before being jettisoned after a poor performance against South Africa.

Topley is highly-regarded on the domestic circuit having claimed 271 wickets across all three formats in 128 appearances.

He said: "I'm thrilled to sign a year's extension here with Hampshire. I can't wait to get back out on the field and play this year and I'm excited to contribute to the club's future successes in the coming years."