Cricket: Bairstow extends Yorkshire contract

England batsman Jonny Bairstow has signed a new contract extension with Yorkshire that will tie him to the team until 2015, the English county side announced on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old joins fellow batsman Gary Ballance and seamer Steve Patterson in committing to Yorkshire for another two years, while off-spinner Azeem Rafiq and fast bowler Moin Ashraf have each signed one-year extensions until the end of the 2014 campaign.

“These lads can become cornerstones of the side for a number of years, and along with the other players we have on long-term deals, that is very exciting for Yorkshire cricket,” said Yorkshire’s director of cricket Martyn Moxon.

Bairstow finished England’s recent Test series with New Zealand as the hosts’ fourth-highest run-scorer with 136 runs, having notably produced scores of 64 and 26 in the second Test on his home ground of Headingley.