Rafiq and Ballance earn contracts

3 October 2008

Azeem Rafiq collects the British Asian Male Sports Personality award 2007

Yorkshire have handed professional contracts to academy players Azeem Rafiq and Gary Ballance.

Rafiq, a 17-year-old off-spinner, has played one senior game for Yorkshire - the Twenty20 Cup match against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in June.

It subsequently emerged that Pakistan-born Rafiq was ineligible to represent Yorkshire in first-team cricket, as he did not yet have a British passport and Yorkshire were expelled from the Twenty20 Cup as a result.

But the ECB have ruled that Rafiq can now represent his county while his citizenship goes through.

Rafiq had a strong season in the Yorkshire second XI, taking 5-51 on debut against Lancashire second XI. He finished the season with 10 wickets at an average of 31.20 and was awarded academy Player of the Year for 2008.

Ballance, 18, made six appearances for Yorkshire second XI in 2008 and made his first-class debut at Canterbury in July. His nine innings for the second-string included two 50s, a highest score of 61 and an average of 31.42.

The nephew of former Zimbabwe international Dave Houghton, Ballance began his county career at Derbyshire before moving to Headingley Carnegie before the start of the season.

Rafiq and Ballance's three-year junior professional contracts mean that they are committed to the club until September 2011.

Yorkshire chief executive Stewart Regan said: “Gary and Azeem are both exciting young players and we are delighted that they have signed their first professional contracts with Yorkshire.

“They are committing themselves to the club at an exciting stage of our development with much activity taking place both on and off the pitch.

“With the new Carnegie Pavilion planned for 2010, an exciting Twenty20 League commencing in the same year and a commitment from both Yorkshire and the ECB to develop home-grown talent, there is much for them to look forward to.

“We all wish them every success in their professional careers. Their parents, like us, will be very proud indeed.”