Yorkshire snap up England star Willey

The 25-year-old has signed a three-year contract with the White Rose County and will join the club at the end of the current campaign.

Willey, who was born in Northampton, is an integral member of the England One-Day side and is expected to add to his four caps when England take on Australia in next month’s Royal London One Day International series.

“I am really excited to be joining Yorkshire and being part of a progressive side,” said Willey, who made his First-Class debut in 2009 following his father Peter who played 17 years for Northants and England.

“I’m looking forward to working with Jason Gillespie and the rest of the Yorkshire lads.

“This has been a tough decision to make because of my personal attachment to the County Ground. I came here many, many times as a boy and dreamed of playing for Northants.

“I will always be grateful for the years of coaching and mentoring that I have received which gave me the best start to my career.

“However, I feel that the time is right to move on, to experience a new approach to training and to broaden my cricket education.

“Yorkshire gives me the best opportunity to challenge myself working alongside some of the best players in the country.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the staff and fans of Northants Cricket for their incredible support. I don’t believe I would have achieved this much had it not been for the opportunities that Northants has given me.”

Yorkshire’s director of cricket, Martyn Moxon is delighted that the Club have made a significant signing ahead of the new campaign beating off competition from other counties to secure Willey’s signature.

“We are delighted that David has agreed to join us,” added Moxon.

“He is a highly talented all round cricketer and will be a great addition to our current squad. He will play a big part in helping us be competitive in all forms of the game and hopefully we can play our part in helping him realise his ambition of playing Test cricket for England.”

Willey is a graduate of Northants Cricket Academy and is regarded by many as one England’s best limited overs all-rounders.

The left-hander currently averages over 23 with the bat in all List A matches with a top score of 167 and has taken 60 wickets at an average of just over 33.

In the First Class arena, Willey has played 58 matches with a top score of 104 not out at an average of 28.50.

With the ball, he has taken 148 wickets at an average of just under 30.

Willey has made a tremendous impact in T20 cricket and single-handedly took the Steelbacks to a T20 title success in 2013 where his all-round performance in the final; a 19-ball half-century (the fastest of the season), a direct-hit run-out from the deep and a hat-trick to finish off the match as part of a four-wicket haul catapulted him into the national spotlight.

He is a current England international and is expected to be a mainstay of England’s one-day plans for the foreseeable future.