Steven Croft: Lancashire batter signs new one-year contract

Steven Croft played every Lancashire match in 2022, scoring 1,780 runs across the three formats

Lancashire have given a new one-year contract to veteran batter Steven Croft.

The 38-year-old's existing deal expired at the end of the 2022 season, but he will now extend his stay at the club into a 20th year.

Croft, a former captain, played every single county fixture this summer across all three formats.

"I am just as proud to sign this contract as I was to sign my very first with the club," he said.

"I love playing for Lancashire and to have the opportunity to do this next year for a 20th season is a brilliant feeling, especially after what has been such an enjoyable campaign for me on a personal level," Croft told the club website.

Having joined the club's academy in 2003, the Blackpool-born batter made his first-class debut two years later and in 2011, he hit the winning runs as Lancashire ended their 77-year wait to win the County Championship title outright.

Croft is closing in on 200 first-class matches and in the 2022 season, he amassed 1,780 runs as Lancashire finished runners-up in the County Championship, the T20 Blast and the One-Day Cup.

Lancashire head coach Glen Chapple said: "Crofty leads by example, he gives everything he's got for his county and the leadership which he brings into the dressing room is invaluable to what we are looking to achieve."