James Franklin signs two-year contract with Middlesex

James Franklin signs two-year contract with Middlesex

Middlesex have announced that captain James Franklin has signed a new two year contract with the county. The 36 year-old New Zealander was instrumental as a both player and leader in last season's County Championship win, their first since 1993.

Franklin's declaration, agreed with Yorkshire captain Andrew Gayle, on the final day of the season at Lord's was instrumental in setting-up a famous victory. Toby Roland-Jones' hat-trick to win the match as the close was approaching was one the most dramatic Championship finishes of living memory.

"James has had a hugely positive influence on Middlesex CCC since his arrival in 2015 and worked as hard as anybody in helping the club win its first County Championship title for 23 years," said Angus Frazer, Middlesex's Director of Cricket. "He remains a high-quality cricketer and as a senior player he sets a wonderful example.

"James is prepared to take on anything we throw at him and has helped us out of a number of tricky situations. For him the team always comes first. He remains fit, motivated and ambitious and we all look forward to working closely with him for at least the next couple of years."

Franklin's experience and calm-headedness had a clearly positive effect on a relatively young Middlesex team in the final stages of last season. The development of Nick Gubbins, Dawid Malan and Roland-Jones in particular under his leadership has been impressive but already the next challenge is upon them.

Replicating the Championship success next season will not be straightforward with Yorkshire, Warwickshire and Somerset all strong contenders. There is also work to do to improve their relatively disappointing recent performances in white-ball cricket, which is why Franklin's former New Zealand teammate Daniel Vettori has been recruited to coach Middlesex's Twenty20 team.

As Middlesex aim for further success, the left-handed all-rounder Franklin's own form last season proved that he still has plenty to offer as a player in all formats. Now considered more of a batsman who bowls, he averaged 42.73 in the Championship with the bat but also picked up 12 wickets at 20.83 with the ball in the Royal London One-Day Cup.

"I have really enjoyed my time with Middlesex since joining the club - the highlight of which was undoubtedly lifting the County Championship trophy last season here at Lord's," said Franklin. "I'm really excited to be a part of a playing group that is not only hugely talented, but one that is also hungry for more trophies.

"The club is in a great place to build on the success we enjoyed last year and I am delighted to have signed a new two-year contract which will see me contributing to our progress on the field over the next couple of years," Franklin said.