Exclusive by Alex Hoad

Kent batsman Sam Northeast has agreed a new one-year deal with the county.

Northeast, who turns 22 next month, said he was very pleased to have signed the contract.

“It didn’t take that long to decide, we weren’t far away in discussions, there were just a few little points to sort out," he said. "I had no doubt it would get sorted.”

The former England under-19 star (pictured) added: “I have always been keen to stay at Kent but you should always have a look around to see if you feel your career is going in the right direction.

“I feel happy at Kent and I believe that they can take me forward and I can hopefully do the same for them by contributing on the field.”

Northeast revealed he appreciated the support of Kent’s chief executive Jamie Clifford and director of cricket Paul Farbrace during negotiations.

He said: “Jamie and Farby were great and always said they were very keen on me staying as I was part of the future of Kent.

“As you can see we have got a lot of younger players coming through at the moment and the future is looking really promising. I wanted to be a part of it and Kent wanted me to be a part of it too.”