Essex sign Durham paceman Killeen for 2026

Mitchell Killeen is a former England Under-19 international

Essex have signed pace bowler Mitchell Killeen on a two-year deal after he rejected a contract extension offered by Durham.

The 20-year-old will move to Chelmsford ahead of next season, having marked his County Championship debut by taking 5-36 against Somerset in May.

The son of former Durham seamer Neil Killeen, he has played three Championship games and nine List A matches, taking a total of 20 wickets.

"Essex have an excellent squad of cricketers and have obviously enjoyed some great success in recent years," he said.

"Once (director of cricket) Chris Silverwood got in touch, I knew that I wanted to be involved with what he is trying to build at Chelmsford.

"I feel my cricket is developing and I will be doing my best to push hard for regular first-team cricket."

Killeen is the second signing made by Essex for 2026, having agreed a three-year deal with Gloucestershire's Zaman Akhter earlier this month.

"We're obviously disappointed to lose a young player in Mitch who has progressed through our pathway, but we fully understand his reasons for wanting to explore a new challenge at Essex," said Durham director of cricket Marcus North.

"Mitch was in our plans as a club moving forward and that was evident with the offer of a new contract."