Kent extend Matt Milnes and Sam Northeast contracts through 2028

Kent have exercised contract options to retain Matt Milnes and Sam Northeast until at least the end of the 2028 season, the club has confirmed. The extensions follow a successful first campaign back at the county for both players, with BBC Sport reporting that they finished as Kent’s leading wicket-taker and run-scorer respectively in the County Championship as the team secured promotion.

Seamer Milnes, 32, took 54 Championship wickets, while 36-year-old batter Northeast scored 890 runs in the competition, according to the BBC. Both rejoined Kent at the beginning of the 2026 season after playing for other counties. Their return therefore coincided with Kent earning a place back in Division One, where the club will compete in 2027.

Kent’s own announcement detailed a wider contribution from Milnes across the summer. He collected 84 wickets in all formats and topped the county’s wicket-taking lists in both the Championship and the T20 Blast. His season also included a first-class career-best innings return of six wickets for 12 runs against Derbyshire, alongside multiple honours at Kent’s end-of-season awards.

Northeast, a former Kent captain, made 26 appearances during the season and accumulated more than 1,300 runs across competitions, the club said. Three centuries formed part of that total. Those all-format figures sit alongside his Championship return, with the club’s announcement recording the contribution he made beyond the competition in which Kent achieved promotion.

Director of cricket Simon Cook welcomed the performances of both returning players and identified them as important members of the squad for next year’s Division One campaign. He also highlighted their role in helping younger cricketers develop, placing their continued presence within Kent’s longer-term plans as well as its immediate preparations for top-division cricket.

The agreement announced by Kent involves activating an additional year already available under each player’s contract. It secures the pair for the next two seasons following their 2026 returns, keeping both of the promotion-winning side’s Championship statistical leaders at the club through the end of 2028.