THERE IS real determination from Sam Hain to continue kicking on at Warwickshire after recently signing a two-year deal to keep him tied to the Edgbaston club until 2023.
The 25-year-old has been a mainstay for the Bears ever since making his debut in 2013 – racking up 174 first-team games in all formats during that time – a statistic he is intent on adding to in the long-term as the Hong Kong-born batsman closes in on a decade at the club.
“I just want to keep putting in performances for the Bears and help bring some more success to this great club,” he said.
“I think I am a proper adopted Brummie now, I might not quite have the accent yet but I have been at Warwickshire and lived in Birmingham since 2013.
“I am very settled here and I love it – it’s my home now.”
If there is one thing which both fans, players and pundits alike can agree on, it is that the return of the famous Edgbaston roar will be very-much welcomed once COVID-19 restrictions are finally lifted.
For Hain, that sentiment is no different, ahead of a campaign which he feels Warwickshire will perform strongly in with the current crop available to head coach Mark Robinson.
“There is a real excitement about our squad with some really good additions in all formats,” he continued.
“Pieter Malan is coming in with a fantastic record in all forms of the game and I am really looking forward to playing alongside him, picking his brains and learning all I can from him.
“In the Blast, Carlos Brathwaite will bring us real firepower, he plays with freedom and fun and that’s what T20 cricket is all about.
“We saw that from our own young guys who came into the side at the back end of last year’s tournament.
“It was fantastic to see Rob Yates and Dan Mousley come in and play with such freedom, it was refreshing to see them play with no fear the way they did.
“I think the Blast will be huge this year hopefully with crowds back in, it is always brilliant playing in the competition at Edgbaston and most of all in the big derby against the Rapids.
“I’ve been lucky enough to score some runs against them over the years, we’ve had some fantastic games and it was great for us to come out on top in both of them last year.
“All being well, we can get a full season and at some point get back to full crowds. We all love it with the fans watching and it will be great to have them back in red and white ball cricket.”
