Ravi Bopara commits future to Essex with new deal

Bopara is currently playing cricket in South Africa

Ravi Bopara has ended months of speculation by signing a new two-year deal with Essex.

The 25-year-old England all-rounder had been considering the contract offer since early September.

Head coach Paul Grayson said the delay was based around working out how much compensation Essex would be due should Bopara play in next season's IPL.

"I was never really that concerned, he had given his word he was going to stay," he told BBC Essex.

"It was just a matter of agreeing his IPL terms, his compensation."

Essex had already bolstered their middle order options with the additions of Owais Shah from Middlesex and New Zealander Scott Styris, who will only feature in twenty20 matches.

There's a strong chance Bopara, ten Doeschate and Shah might be away for a little bit at the start of the season

Essex head coach Paul Grayson

"I think we've made three really good signings in the last few weeks with Shah, Styris and Ravi," continued Grayson.

"No disrespect to the other two but Ravi is certainly the best signing we could have made."

Bopara has played all of his domestic first class cricket for Essex after coming through the club's academy.

He averaged 42 with the bat last season as Essex were relegated from the County Championship Division One, but showed his prowess in the shorter version of the game with averages of 77 and 34 in one-day and twenty20 cricket respectively.

Those figures were not enough to earn him a regular place in England's one-day side and Bopara has spent the winter playing for South African team KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins in the hope of impressing the national selectors ahead of the one-day and twenty20 clashes with Australia in January.

And Grayson revealed Essex could be without Bopara, Shah and Dutch international Ryan ten Doeschate until mid-April should all three choose to play in the 2011 IPL.

"The IPL auction takes place in January and there's a strong chance Bopara, ten Doeschate and Shah might be away for a little bit at the start of the season," he added.

"If we lose those three to the IPL we'll get some compensation back and there'll be a strong chance that we'll try and sign an overseas batsman for the start of the season."