Adam Lyth signs new deal that will keep him at Yorkshire CCC past the age of 40
IT is a dark day for bowlers everywhere. Adam Lyth, the Yorkshire batsman, has signed a new contract that will take him a few weeks past his 40th birthday.
Life begins at 40, as the old saying goes, so it would be no surprise to see Lyth, 38, pen another new contract when that time comes.
For now, the man affectionately known as “The Whitby Lara”, in recognition of his birthplace and in deference to the great West Indies stylist Brian Lara, has no intention of hanging up his bat, having agreed a one-year extension that will keep him at the club until at least October 31, 2027.
Lyth, who turns 40 on September 25, 2027, in what will be during or around the final game of that season, said he was delighted to be committing further.
“Yorkshire is my home and there’s nowhere else I would want to spend my career playing cricket,” he said.
“The club is continuing to build something special, and I want to be on hand to keep steering our youngsters through Division One (of the County Championship).
“We finished so strongly last season, and for me personally it was another pleasing year.
“I still have a lot to give, and I continue to feel a huge sense of pride every time I wear the White Rose.”
Age has been no barrier to productivity for one of Yorkshire’s finest servants.
Last season, Lyth scored 1,173 Championship runs at an average of 51 exactly, with three hundreds and six fifties.
Only Surrey’s Dom Sibley (1,274) and Nottinghamshire’s Haseeb Hameed (1,258) scored more in the top-flight, with Yorkshire’s next-highest scorer Matthew Revis accruing 766.
It was the sixth time in his career that Lyth had reached the milestone of 1,000 first-class runs in a season, and, as if to show that age is just a number, the third summer in succession he has done so, suggesting no tail-off in output and form.
His tally last season took him beyond 15,000 first-class runs, his total now standing at 15,910 at 39.87, with 40 centuries.
Gavin Hamilton, Yorkshire’s general manager of cricket, paid tribute to the loyal left-hander, saying: “Adam has been an exceptional leader over several years now and the returns he has given year-in, year-out have been tremendous.
“This extension is further recognition of the high regard we place in him.
“His quality remains clear for everyone to see, and his presence is valued immensely by everyone in the playing squad.
“I know he feels he still has runs out there for him, and we wholeheartedly agree.
“Everyone is delighted to see Adam continue his iconic presence at the top of the order for a further year.”
Lyth, who made seven Test appearances in 2015, and who can count himself unlucky not to have made more, first played for Yorkshire in 2006.
He needs another 190 runs for 25,000 in all cricket across his career, and another 1,423 in Yorkshire’s colours to reach that milestone just for the county.