Alex Tudor, the former England fast bowler, has extended his contract with Essex for two years to keep him at the club until the end of the 2008 season.

Tudor, 28, joined Essex in 2005 but missed most of the season through injuries – a common trend throughout his career. He enjoyed a more fruitful season in 2006 with 28 wickets at 42.67 and 362 runs at 30.16, including a career-best 144 against Derbyshire.

“I’m very delighted to finally put pen to paper and both parties seem happy with the contract,” Tudor told the club’s website. “There are still incentives for playing more games but, most importantly, I was given the amount of years I was looking for. It shows the club are backing me and are happy with me. As a cricketer when you have a year-by-year contract it can be frustrating but now I can relax and play my cricket.”

“Alex has been given a two-year contract with the club of which, as in previous years, an element relates to him making appearances in both Championship and one-day matches,” David East, Essex’s chief executive, said. “But I think it’s very evident that he has demonstrated his fitness in the last year - he didn’t miss a game through injury and played in the last 10 Championship matches in a row - and made a significant contribution to our position in the Championship table this year (third). We are delighted he has come through his injury issues and everyone is comfortable with the structure of this particular contract going forward.”