England cricket captain Michael Vaughan and Test fast bowler Matthew Hoggard are extending their contracts with Yorkshire and will remain at Headingley until at least the end of the 2009 season.

The pair have been offered a further three years by director of cricket David Byas who confidently expects the deals to have been concluded by the end of this week. The move to lengthen Vaughan's stay was exclusively revealed in the Evening Press last Friday.

Said Byas: "Vaughan and Hoggard are both on central contracts with England but I obviously want them to continue to have long-term futures with Yorkshire and am delighted that they will remain with us for at least the next four summers."

Yorkshire needed to get the contracts of their two star players sorted out before England's tour of India starts next month because county cricketers who have not signed beyond 2006 by around April can then be approached by other counties.

Vaughan has already stated that he wants to go on playing for Yorkshire after his England days are over and Hoggard is also likely to want to stay attached to his native county.

Updated: 11:30 Tuesday, January 24, 2006