Teen batter Hamza Shaikh lands two-year contract extension

Promising teenage batter Hamza Shaikh has been handed a two-year contract extension at Warwickshire as we underline our commitment to nurturing the region’s best young talent.

matc

2022-10-12T11:10:08.000Z

Hamza signed his first professional contract earlier this summer having progressed through our age group structure from under-10s to the Academy.

And his potential, dedication and ability has now been rewarded with a two-year extension to that deal which means he’ll be with us until at least the end of the 2025 season.

“It’s all happened so quickly, he said. “Warwickshire is my home Club so making my debut earlier this year was proper dream-come-true stuff. I’m grateful the coaches have faith in me and I really want to do them proud, get my head down and keep playing as well as possible.”

Hamza – who smashed five senior league centuries on a season when aged just 12 – made four Royal London Cup appearances this summer and was well set on 25 on his debut against Sussex at Edgbaston before being unluckily run out.

He’s combining playing and training while studying for a BTEC in Sports Coaching & Development through our partnership with Sandwell College.

The college run sessions three days a week from our indoor training centre which means young players can quickly switch from the nets to the classroom.

And we’re helping Hamza spend time in Mumbai, India during the winter where he’ll gain invaluable experience playing in different conditions and pitches plus, crucially, honing his skills against spin bowling.

Director of Cricket Paul Farbrace, said: “Hamza has incredible potential. I’ve been impressed with the way his game is developing, he’s committed and wants to learn. He scored more than 1,000 runs last season for the Warwickshire pathway.

“He’s played a part in the Royal London Cup this season, and been unlucky not to score more runs, and there’s no reason why he can’t push for more first team starts across other formats next season.”

Hamza is the latest in a succession of young players who’ve graduated from our academy to secure professional contracts. Nine have made the step up since 2019.