Batter Donald signs new Derbyshire deal

Aneurin Donald started his career at Glamorgan and spent six years with Hampshire before joining Derbyshire in 2024

Derbyshire wicketkeeper-batter Aneurin Donald has signed a two-year contract extension that will keep him at the County Ground until the end of 2028.

The 28-year-old has established himself as the county's most prolific run-scorer in the T20 Blast over the past two seasons, racking up nine half-centuries in 24 appearances.

Having hit a competition-high 31 sixes, while boasting a strike-rate of 216.9, he distinguished himself as the competition's most devastating batter last season.

Donald's 13-ball 50 in the Falcons' win against Yorkshire in July helped define that reputation, as he equalled Marcus Trescothick's record for the fastest half-century in the T20 Blast.

"In Nye, we have one of the most effective T20 batters in the world. He's consistently given us a strong platform in the powerplay and this season he showed his ability to go on and make bigger scores," Derbyshire head of cricket Mickey Arthur told the club website.

"The next step for him is to turn more of those amazing innings into match-winning ones, but we know as a team we also need to capitalise better on the starts Nye gives us."

Donald says he wants to now take his T20 game "to the next level" but added that he is eager to be seen as someone that can be "relied" on in four-day County Championship matches too.

"I want to expand my game to all formats," he said.