Napier extends contract with Essex

Graham Napier has signed a two-year deal with Essex which will keep him with the county side until the end of the 2011 season. The news comes on the same day Napier was named in England's provisional 30-man squad for the ICC World Twenty20.

"I am delighted to be with Essex now until the end of the 2011 season," Napier said on his website. "It is a great honour for me to play for Essex. This new contract will bring my time at Essex up to nearly 14 years."

Napier made the headlines during the English summer with a breathtaking 152 off 58 balls in the Twenty20 Cup against Sussex, and has now cemented his place after a number of seasons dogged by injury. "Going into last season I would have been doubtful that Essex would have offered me a new contract," he said. "It is a real pleasure to be involved with the club for a further three seasons."

Napier's Twenty20 heroics last season prompted talk of him being handed an England call-up. He became a very marketable property and even drew the attention of the IPL franchises.

The 29-year-old, who returned to England after a winter in New Zealand with the Wellington state side and the England Lions, had agreed to join the Mumbai Indians but the franchise and Essex are still to agree on the period of time he will remain in South Africa. Napier is close to finalising a contract with Mumbai but as an uncapped player was outside the auction process.

"For me it is going to be a new experience, playing with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar," he said. "The team is full of stars at the top of their game, to be playing with them is a great learning experience."

With the IPL set to run during April and May, Napier would miss an early chunk of the county season if he signed a long-term deal with a franchise.