"The Yorkshire County Cricket Club has concluded a series of contract negotiations to ensure that its quality players remain at the Club.
YCCC Players Player of the Year 2009, Ajmal Shahzad, has ended weeks of speculation by signing a new 3-year deal with the county. The 24-year-old all-rounder will play his cricket in a Yorkshire shirt until the end of the 2012 season.
Gerard Brophy, the 33-year-old wicket-keeper batsman, has extended his contract to the end of the 2011 season.
Further to last weeks announcement that pace bowler James Lee has penned a new 3-year deal with the Club, up and coming players Gary Ballance, Oliver Hannon-Dalby and Ben Sanderson have also signed new professional contracts. Ballance and Hannon-Dalby have signed contracts until the end of the 2012 season and Ben Sandersons deal runs until the end of 2011.
Stewart Regan, Yorkshires Chief Executive, said: 'It is excellent news that our players are committing their futures to Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Ajmal Shahzad has enjoyed a hugely promising 2009 season and Gerard Brophy continues to impress with the gloves and middle-order runs. Our Academy has been incredibly successful and it is crucial to the future of the Club that our talented youngsters remain at Headingley Carnegie.' "
That's great. No mention of Hoggy though.
It's a tough business. It's only right that we should invest in the young promising players with a future ahead of them. At the same time, you can't blame Hoggy for wanting to maximise his earnings for the few remaining years he has left as a player. I'm not surprised that negotiations may be proving a little difficult.
It may ultimately be in the best interest of both parties if there is a parting of the ways.It would be nice - just for once - if the Club could handle the departure of one of it's senior players with a little good grace, dignity and indeed generosity. Hoggy has been a very good and loyal servant and deserves our affection and respect.
Hoggard is a great player, but if county cricket is going to look like more than an amateurish knockabout then teams need to stop giving their players away to other teams.
In Hoggard case as his contract is up (I think) it isnt actually a question of whether we allow him to leave with good grace. He can walk away now and there's nothing we can do about it if he does want to go.
We rightly held firm over Mags when he wanted out whilst still under contract.
Negotiations must be difficult, especially given the economy, the club's finances, Hoggy's age (33 in December), and the fact that Hoggard would still command a premium salary. Given that so many of the other players (Shahzad, Brophy, Hannon-Dalby, Lee, Ballance and Sanderson) have now signed or resigned, I would speculate that Hoggard might be the odd man out.
If he doesn't sign on we will probably need two new fast bowlers, including an overseas signing.
First of all let me start by saying that Hoggy has been my favourite player of recent years and I'd love for him to end his playing days at Yorkshire. However with my hard logical head on I can not help but thinking that actually the signings of AJ and the youngsters are more important now. I hope Hoggy stays and passes on his years of learning and continues to contribute on the field, but if he moves on its no longer the end of the world. Whatever he does though, I hope he realises how much all true Yorkshire fans appreciate and respect him.
Sometimes I dispare with this forum .... Shahzad signs up for 3 years & Brophy for 2 ... & the talk is all about Hoggy not having made his decision. The news is good so lets celebrate tonight .. & worry about about Hoggy lster
great to hear shahzad and brophy have signed, and also the younger lads. i feel quite confident with a top overseas player we can have a much better season next year.
Come on Dpressed, it's perfectly reasonable to speculate about Haggard and his intentions, and express some concerns that he hasn't signed yet. Certainly the glass is half full, but it's also half empty. Don't confuse well-reasoned opinion with disappointment or negativity.
a journalist close to the yorkshire set up (graham hardcastle) writes we are in advanced talks with an overseas fast bowler and an announcement is expected soon.
This is not just great news (Shahzad and Brophy but all the others signing extensions as well) but its also great that it has been finalised so soon after the end of the season so that outer counties do not have the chance to continue to pursue these players but also to stop us interested fans from maving months of speculation.
I might take a contrarian view re Hoggard. Firstly, as the most senior of those out of contract and as the one who would expect to command a higher salary then I would expect it to take longer to negotiate with him.
Secondly, i suspect he may have more than a passing interest in the captaincy for next season - not necessarily to do the job himself but to see who is lined up to take this on before he commits.
Thirdly, it may not be another county thats turning his head, but a change of career direction if he has become disillusioned with cricket a la Vaughan if he sees no chance of getting back into the England set up.
I also wouldn't put it past the club to want to keep Hoggys announcement to a separate newsbreak so as to make a big thing of it!
well done to all at the club for securing the services of all these players who will improve and develop over the next 2-3 years
With Harmison now probably out of the England picture forever it wouldn't take too many fast bowling failures in South Africa and too many good early season performances before Shazad is talked of as an immediate England prospect. We may have saved him from other counties and lost him to England before seasons end.
well he does fit the current favoured mould of a bowler who can bat a la Plunkett Bresnan et al which should put him ahead of Mahmood, Finn and any other young fast bowler from Surrey or Warwickshire.
However, I think there a few more still ahead of him in the England queue like Woakes
Praise to TC for a very good (& sensible post) .... especially the bit about Yorks wanting to keep Hoggy's anouncement as a spserate newsbreak .... I'm sure a certain Mr Buttler would want to do this.
As for glass half full ... I'm often called a POD (Prophet Of Doom) by mates for looking on the black side (my name on here also shows it) .... but some on here make me look Mr Positive .... if we'd lost Shahzad there would be mass Dpression ... but the county anounce him signing & we now get "but he'll be England so we wont gain anything' ... the glass is permanently empty
I'm not ''dpressed'' by the thought of Shazad or anyone of our players being called up by England, the very opposite infact. If anyone has no ambition to play for their country then I'd question their ambition for their county. I was merely thinking ironically that we may well have signed Shazad only to lose him to England before very much longer. Hopefully we'll have a darn good season and he'll have a championship medal on his mantlepiece before he does get the call.
With his England career in tatters, and now his Yorkshire career over, I wonder if Hoggy will choose retirement? Doesn't sound like it at the moment, but he'd command a pretty good salary, and under current economic conditions who could afford him? He certainly won't get a long term contract.