Kent all-rounder Darren Stevens could play first-class cricket at the age of 46 after signing a new one-year deal.
The 45-year-old, who joined Kent in 2005, will take his stay into an 18th season next year.
Stevens, England’s oldest first-class cricketer, last month scored 190 in the County Championship against Glamorgan.
“Stevo has rightly earned hero status among not only Kent supporters, but fans of cricket in general,” said director of cricket Paul Downton.external-link
“The fact that he has worked his way back into our Vitality Blast team for the first time in four years is a huge testament to his hunger to keep improving and his desire to keep on playing the game he loves.
“He has also worked really hard on his batting to trust his defence again. The results have been spectacular.”
Right-armer Stevens has made more than 600 appearances across all formats of the game for Kent during his 17 years with the county, scoring more than 21,000 runs and taking over 800 wickets.
He almost left the club in 2019 but Kent offered him a new deal after a fantastic late-season run of form and he has been an ever-present in their first-class side since.
This season alone, he tops Kent’s bowling standings with 26 wickets and also leads the batting averages with 423 runs at 47.00.
“I’m thrilled to commit to another season with Kent and continuing my really good form,” Stevens said.
“I’ve worked hard to continue to earn my place in the XI across all formats this year, and I’m feeling fit and strong to continue to make more contributions as a Kent player.”