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

Like Yorkshire's other senior players, they are on rolling contracts and are already signed up until the end of this year.

But 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.

"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," said Byas.

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.

Vaughan, 31 last October, and Hoggard, who was 29 on New Year's Eve, still have plenty of England cricket left in them but constant round-the-year travel and a crammed agenda do eventually take their toll and their circumstances could be much different in three years' time.

At the moment, however, they are both focusing on the forthcoming tour of India and before that takes place they have a date at Buckingham Palace, Vaughan to collect an OBE and Hoggard an MBE.

Although happy to have Vaughan and Hoggard on board for the next four years, Byas also realises that Yorkshire will continue to see little of them again this summer and they will probably be available on even fewer occasions than last year.

Vaughan managed only two county championship and four one-day matches in 2005, while Hoggard played in six

championship and seven one-dayers, plus five Twenty20 games.

But the pair are a top marketing tool

for Yorkshire and new chief executive Stewart Regan, who hopes to take up his post at Easter, is bound to be pleased that Vaughan and Hoggard have committed themselves long-term to the county.

Meanwhile, Vaughan was quick to play down expectations of his Ashes-winning side following their miserable pre-Christmas tour of Pakistan, insisting they are on a learning curve on the sub-continent.

"People have to be realistic," said Vaughan, who is currently recovering from knee surgery after injury curtailed his tour of Pakistan.

"We're quite young, we've got some

really good players but our experience playing abroad is not there at the moment. They (India) have got to be favourites on home soil. Only Australia in the last 14 years have won there, which is a hell of a record at home.

"They've got every area covered - seam bowlers, mystery spinners and phenomenal batsmen - but that's not to say we can't have a good tour if we keep our discipline and work hard."

Marcus Trescothick stepped into the role of captain when Vaughan was forced home by the long-standing injury but the Yorkshireman believes his chances of resuming his duties are good.

"The knee is all right. It's been four weeks since the operation," said Vaughan.

"I've done rehab and I've just started running indoors on soft surfaces in the last few days.

"You need a little bit of luck but if that stays with me I'm sure I will be fine for the tour."