England opener Zak Crawley signs one-year extension with Kent

England opener Zak Crawley has signed a one-year extension with Kent after losing his central contract for 2026-27. The 28-year-old returns to the county as his primary employer ahead of Kent’s return to the County Championship’s top division

Canterbury: England opening batter Zak Crawley has signed a one-year contract extension with Kent, returning to the county as his primary employer after six years on the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) central contract list.

A product of the Kent Cricket Academy, Crawley has made more than 180 appearances for his home county since making his first-team debut in 2017, scoring over 7,400 runs across formats. He has registered 10 centuries for Kent and is one of only seven players in the club’s history to score a hundred or more across all formats.

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Crawley, who received Kent Men’s Cap No. 219 in 2019, was part of the county’s T20 Blast-winning team in 2021. He has also featured in both of Kent’s County Championship promotion campaigns, in 2018 and 2026, with the club set to return to Division One next season.

“I’m delighted to sign on for a further year at my boyhood county. It’s an exciting time as we head back into Division One of the County Championship, and I’m looking forward to the challenge of competing for Kent this coming summer. It’s great to see so many young players coming through the system here, similar to my journey into first-team cricket, and I’m excited to help them settle into the first team and further their development for the long term,” Crawley said in a club statement.

The 28-year-old lost his England central contract for the 2026-27 cycle after being dropped from the Test side at the start of the home summer, following an extended run at the top of the order.

Crawley was one of only two players, alongside Lancashire’s Luke Wood, to lose their deals on performance grounds when the ECB announced its list of 30 centrally contracted players this week.

Kent Director of Cricket Simon Cook welcomed the extension, highlighting Crawley’s experience and his role in supporting the county’s younger players.

“We’re extremely pleased that Zak has extended his contract with the club for what will be his 11th season in our first team. He is an extremely talented batter and is a huge presence in our dressing room.

“His experience of playing around the world not only benefits us on the field, but he is always willing to pass on his knowledge to our younger batters, something that will benefit us in the long term. His multi-format ability means that he is an integral part of our squad going into 2027,” he said.

The new deal will see Crawley enter his 11th season in Kent’s first team, with the club preparing for its return to the County Championship’s top division in 2027.