London - England batsman Joe Root has signed a new contract with Yorkshire that will keep him with the English county champions until the end of 2019, it was announced on Friday.
The 25-year-old is currently ranked the second-best batsman in the world and is a mainstay of the England team in all formats.
As such, his appearances for his native county are few and far between.
However, Root said: "I'm delighted to be committing my future to Yorkshire.
"Even though I don't play as much as I would like for Yorkshire these days due to my international commitments, I still get a huge buzz wearing the white rose on my cap and representing my county. I couldn't see myself playing cricket for any other county.
"Yorkshire have given me a great education and foundation as a cricketer and without the support of the players and coaches at Headingley I wouldn't be in the position I'm in today with England."
Sheffield-born Root made his Yorkshire debut in 2007, with his England Test debut coming in December 2012.
He has since played 39 Tests, scoring 3 406 runs at 54.93.