England bowler Mark Wood has handed Durham a huge morale boost by committing himself to the troubled county for the next three years.
Durham were relegated from the first division of the Specsavers County Championship and handed points deductions across all three formats after accepting a financial bailout from the England and Wales Cricket Board in early October.
The county also saw its Test status revoked and had already lost key players Scott Borthwick and Mark Stoneman to Surrey.
But Wood, who has a central Test contract with England, has partially stemmed the tide of bad news by pledging his future to the club despite its current straits.
"I'm delighted to be honest; throughout the year, I was desperate to stay," he said.
"Three years was one of my main drivers, I wanted to not just stay for one or two, I wanted to make sure I was here to make a difference for a long period of time.
"The recent setback we have had gives us a chance to make a big impact and hopefully along with my England duties, I can push the club forward in a good light.
"I'm a North East lad from the region, I want to make a difference for this club and I've been here since I was 16/17 years old so I'm delighted I can stay on longer and continue my Durham journey."
Chief executive David Harker said: "We're very pleased to have Mark's services once again and a three-year deal shows commitment from both parties.
"There was a great willingness from both parties to get a new deal sorted and we are delighted to have got this over the line.
"His potential is vast and we're glad to be supporting him throughout a time when he will be reaching the prime stages of his career."
Source: PA
