Zak Crawley makes decision on Kent future as Kevin Pietersen helps with £120m deal

England opener Zak Crawley has signed a contract extension with Kent running to the end of the 2025 season.

The 26-year-old Kent academy product made his debut in 2017 and has registered 147 appearances for the county to date, scoring more than 6,000 runs. That has included 10 centuries, most recently a 238 against Somerset in a Vitality County Championship match in May.

“I absolutely love playing for my county and it was another easy decision to stay here for a further year,” Crawley said. “I’m looking forward to being available for Kent as much as I can next year and putting in performances wearing the White Horse in multiple formats.”

Kent director of cricket Simon Cook said: “When he’s available, Zak elevates our top-order batting and he is of course a great role model for our young batters despite himself only being 26. I’m delighted that Zak has extended his Kent contract for a further year as we begin to plan for the 2025 season and beyond.”

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Meanwhile, Former England captain Kevin Pietersen helped to facilitate Hampshire’s impending takeover by the co-owners of Indian Premier League franchise Delhi Capitals.

A deal worth around £120million has been struck between Hampshire and Indian conglomerate GMR, which is set to become the first overseas owner of a county as well as acquiring the club’s Utilita Bowl ground.

Pietersen has links to both parties, having represented Hampshire between 2005-10 and the Delhi franchise then known as the Daredevils between 2012-14, while he is a current ambassador with GMR. He hailed a “historic day” on X upon the announcement of the agreement and Rod Bransgrove, Hampshire chair, said Pietersen, who played 104 Tests for England between 2005 and 2014, had a hand in the deal.

“Kevin takes an ambassadorial role for GMR and we’ve certainly spoken to him once or twice,” Bransgrove said. “He’s been very interested in the potential for this because he knows the GMR culture, he knows our culture and he knows they’re very well suited to each other. In that respect, yes, he has been involved.”

Bransgrove and David Mann will remain as Hampshire chair and chief executive respectively as part of a phased takeover that aims to ensure a smooth transition of power in the next couple of years. Some of the funds raised from the takeover will be directed towards driving down the club’s debt and renovating facilities at their home ground, which will stage an Ashes Test in 2027.

Bransgrove, widely credited with rescuing Hampshire from the brink of bankruptcy in 2000 and rehoming them at the Utilita Bowl, insisted there will otherwise be very little noticeable change.

“It’s going to be business as usual for Hampshire, except with the confidence of having GMR behind us,” Bransgrove said. “I think this is a landmark occasion in English cricket. Having got to the top table of Test match cricket with an Ashes Test in 2027, our major concern now must be to consolidate that position and expand it.

“We’ve got work to do. Although we’re the newest ground, we’re 24 years old now and some bits are beginning to crack a bit. There’s work to be done in and around the ground. Hopefully with GMR behind us, we’ll be able to raise the capital to get that work done much more quickly than we normally would have done.”