MATTHEW Waite has signed a two-year extension to his contract to keep him at Yorkshire until at least the end of 2022.

The all-rounder, who unfortunately spent the majority of the 2020 season on the sidelines due to injury, will be hoping to cement a place in the first team over the next two seasons.

Waite said: “I’m definitely looking forward to it. I think the squad is in a good place at the moment.

“We’ve made a couple of good signings and the young lads are starting to perform more consistently as well, so I think there’s a lot to look forward to in the next couple of years.”

Like many young fast bowlers, the Leeds-born all-rounder has suffered from his fair share of injuries, with the latest one ruling him out of the shortened 2020 season just one day before the opening Bob Willis Trophy game.

“It’s been a tough couple of years if I’m honest,” Waite continued. “I had a good pre-season, a good game (in a friendly) against Lancashire and I was really looking forward to the season, but unfortunately I didn’t have the best of luck.

“Hopefully moving forward, I can have a bit of luck and get on a decent run over the next couple of years.

“The backing from the coaches and Martyn (Moxon) is definitely one of the good things. Obviously, I’ve not played much in the last couple of years so to get that backing is great and a two-year deal fills me with a lot of confidence.

“Hopefully I can repay them over the next few years.”

With Waite missing out on the eve of the season, 24-year-old all-rounder Jordan Thompson took advantage when called upon, finishing the season as the club’s leading wicket taker and scoring 234 first-class runs in five outings.

Waite and Thompson form part of Yorkshire’s formidable all-rounder options, which include Matthew Fisher, David Willey and new recruit Dom Bess.

“Strength in depth,” Waite said when asked about competition among the all-rounders.

“Thommo (Thompson) did really well this year and I’m really pleased for him. I don’t see why we can’t all play together. Why not play all of the all-rounders if we can all do the job batting and with the ball?

“We’re shaping up really well. With the signings of Dawid Malan and Dom Bess, two international players, it adds a lot to the group.

“But without them this year, we’ve done really well in the Bob Willis Trophy. We’ve got a good core of young players standing up and doing really well too, so it’s promising times.”

Looking ahead to the next two years, the all-rounder is targeting a sustained run in the first team.

“Staying fit is the main thing,” Waite said. “I don’t want to look back too much, (I want to) start looking forward. I want to try to get as fit as I can like I did last year so there’s no excuses if I do get injured.

“I’d obviously like to nail down a first-team spot, but to do that I’ve got to play a number of games consistently and perform consistently.

“I’m not looking too far ahead; I just want to get into the best shape possible for next season and see where that takes me.”

Martyn Moxon, The Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s director of cricket, said: “The frustration with Matthew has been his injuries, none more so than for himself, particularly this year when he was in the squad for (the opening Bob Willis Trophy game against) Durham and had to pull out with a very freak injury before the match even started.

“He’s someone with huge potential. He’s shown his capabilities at first team level so it’s now just a matter of him hopefully having an injury-free season next year and he can really kick on.”