Young seamer signs two-year contract extension with Bears

The 24-year-old is viewed as a key member of the Bears bowling attack moving forward, having impressed with his pace and batting ability.

Zimbabwe-born Booth, who is still registered as an overseas player until next year, claimed his maiden first-class five-wicket haul against Nottinghamshire in April, while also taking seven wickets at Durham.

He will form part of a Bears seam attack currently in the process of being overhauled, with Nathan Gilchrist joining from Kent and Jordan Thompson arriving from Yorkshire.

Booth said: "I’m very honoured to have signed an extension with the Bears. 

“You work so hard for that first contract, but then keeping it and making the club want to re-sign you is a big honour.

"It’s a testament to the hard work that you put in day in, day out, to keep impressing and keep showing the club that you’ve got more to offer.

"I really enjoyed my time at the Bears. I feel like with each passing season, I’ve gained more experience and hopefully improved, and I still feel like there’s a long way to go.

"I’m loving it here and enjoying working with the coaches and support staff. I’m really looking forward to the next two years, and hopefully more than that. From last season to this season, I feel like I’ve improved a lot, but there are still plenty more areas to improve, so the hard work doesn’t stop."

Bears performance director James Thomas said: “Michael has got a real hunger to improve and continues to learn from the experienced players around him. 

“Our coaching staff love working with him and have helped him develop greater consistency and variety in his bowling.

“Michael will be an important part of our squad as we look to build a team capable of challenging for trophies on all fronts in the coming years.”