Warwickshire County Cricket Club has confirmed contract extensions with Tim Ambrose, Ryan Sidebottom Alex Thomson.

Wicket-keeper Ambrose, who is one of the longest-standing members of the Warwickshire squad after making his debut in 2006, has signed a one-year extension to cover the 2020 season.

It’s a welcome boost for the club to secure new deals with players of the calibre of Tim, Ryan and Alex.

Paul Farbrace

Boasting 1,017 career dismissals, Ambrose (36) has won trophies across all three formats for the Bears and has made 189 First Class, 126 List A and 95 T20 appearances for the club to date. He has also won 11 Test, five ODI and one IT20 caps for England.

Fast bowler Sidebottom (30) came into the Warwickshire team in the 2017 campaign after impressing for Birmingham & District Premier League club Berkswell. Having taken 50 First Class wickets, at an average of 25.46, in 17 First Class outings for the Bears, he has signed a two-year contract extension that will cover until the end of the 2021 season.

Thomson (25) joined Warwickshire ahead of the 2018 season after coming through the Staffordshire Cricket pathway; the minor county that shares an official partnership with Warwickshire to support player development.

After making his First Team debut in the Specsavers County Championship whilst on trial in 2017, the off-spinning all-rounder has gone on to play an important role for the Bears in limited overs cricket this season and has now made three First Class, nine List A and seven T20 appearances to date. He has signed a two-year extension through to the end of 2021.

“It’s a welcome boost for the club to secure new deals with players of the calibre of Tim, Ryan an Alex,” said Warwickshire CCC Sport Director Paul Farbrace.

“Tim continues to be one of the leading wicket-keepers in the domestic game and will go down as a true Warwickshire great when he eventually hangs up his gloves. One of our recent priorities has been to support his workload so that he can continue to play a lead role and support our young players coming into the game.

“Ryan has had some bad luck with injuries, but he’s a match winner and he has made a big impact for us in the First Class game since he was discovered in the Birmingham League. Having him back at full fitness and raring to go in the 2020 season will be a great asset for the team.

“Alex is a very impressive young man who works tirelessly across all areas of his game. He gave an excellent account of himself in this year’s One-Day Cup, bowling his full allocation of overs in the majority of games, but also making important contributions with the bat. He has an important role to play across all formats moving forward.”