Under the terms of the sponsorship, which was first activated four years ago, Marston’s Pedigree will remain the official beer of the England team. The agreement will cover the next two home Ashes series against Australia in 2013 and 2015. Financial details have not been disclosed.

The deal represents the latest of a number of commercial developments for the ECB as England ends the year as cricket’s top-ranked Test nation. Earlier this month the ECB announced an extension to its kit partnership with Adidas from 2013-17 and in November Investec was signed up as the new title sponsor of England’s home Test matches for the next 10 years.

Des Gallagher, head of brands marketing at Marston's, said the relationship had been “hugely successful for both parties” so far. “We were delighted to see England become the world’s No.1 Test side earlier this year and have been impressed by the huge support for international cricket in this country across three different formats.”

ECB head of commercial partnerships Mark Pearce added: “Marston's is a major ECB partner and they have provided excellent support for our game from the grass roots through to the international arena over the past five years.”