Hamza Shaikh: Leicestershire sign batter from Warwickshire

Leicestershire have signed batter Hamza Shaikh from Warwickshire on a three-year deal.

The 20-year-old initially joins the Foxes on loan for the remainder of the campaign, before making the switch permanent in November.

Shaikh, who has featured for England’s second-string Lions side and also represented his country at Under-19 level, has been with Warwickshire since the age of 10.

He emerged from the Edgbaston youth ranks to make his One-Day Cup debut as a 16-year-old in 2022, and has gone on to also play for the Bears in the County Championship and T20 Blast.

He has so far scored 301 runs in eight first-class appearances, but the majority of his career has been spent playing 50-over List A matches – in which he has made almost 600 runs in 28 games.

Leicestershire director of cricket Claude Henderson said Shaikh is a player the club has “admired for a long time” and described him as a “significant signing”.

“He’s a young batter with outstanding talent, an excellent work ethic and, importantly, a real desire to continue developing his game,” he told the club website., external