The future of England fast bowling icon Darren Gough remains a mystery to Essex County Cricket Club today.

David East, the county's chief executive told the Evening Gazette: "What you have read or heard is the same as what we know.

"And a statement about Darren's future will either come out of Essex or Yorkshire County Cricket Club as soon as either of us has anything to say."

Gough, universally known as the Dazzler, is reported to be heading back to Headingley to take over as Yorkshire captain - a post accepted and then rejected by Sussex's Championship-winning skipper Chris Adams last autumn.

But Essex still remain hopeful their 36-year-old inspirational strike bowler and vice-captain will pen a new deal that has been on the table over the last eight months.

East said: "We gave Darren an offer mid-summer last year and we have been encouraging him to sign ever since.

"He hasn't signed anything yet, but he did meet with the county chairman (Nigel Hilliard) and Cricket Committee chairman (Graham Saville) recently while I was away.

"We just want some clarity now on what is going on."

For more on this story, see tonight's Evening Gazette.