YOUNG batsman Sam Hain has signed a contract extension to play all formats for Warwickshire CCC and Birmingham Bears until at least the end of the 2021 domestic season.
The 22-year-old, who has flown out to the Caribbean to join the England Lions squad ahead of the one-day series with West Indies A, has been with the Bears since 2013 and has contributed 3,965 runs across all formats to date.
Hain has scored seven First Class and four List A centuries, but he also played a leading role in the team’s Royal London One-Day Cup win in 2016 in addition to being the top scorer in last year’s NatWest T20 Blast final with 72.
Ashley Giles, sport director at Warwickshire, said: “Sam is a tremendously talented batsman and one of the most exciting young prospects in the county game who has demonstrated he can play big innings in the most pressurised situations.
“He’s enjoyed a lot of success in white-ball cricket over the last two seasons, helping the team win the One-Day Cup at Lord’s and coming so close to getting us home in last season’s Blast final.
“However, he now needs to take this into Championship cricket and build on the seven centuries he scored in the early part of his career.
“Despite a difficult season last year, he has shown good character and worked hard over the winter months. We’re thrilled he will continue to be a Bear as we rebuild a squad to challenge across all formats.”
Hain will stay in the Caribbean to play in the ECB North-South Series, for a second successive year, following the Lions’ three-match one-day series.
He has also been selected by the MCC for the annual Champions County match, which takes places at the Kensington Oval in Barbados between March 27-30, before returning to Edgbaston ahead of Warwickshire’s first Specsavers County Championship Division Two match against Sussex on April 13.
Commenting on his contract extension, Hain said: “I absolutely love playing for the Bears and it’s great to have secured my long-term future with the club ahead of the tour with England Lions and a big domestic season.
“Admittedly we had a tough time in Championship and one-day cup last year, but we made great strides in the Blast and the management have been very busy rebuilding the squad so we can challenge hard for promotion.”
