Somerset [UK] January 23 (ANI): Batsman James Hildreth, whose current contract was due to expire at the end of the 2021 campaign has agreed to an extension which will see him remain with England’s County Cricket Club Somerset until at least the end of the 2022 season.
James made his debut for Somerset in 2003 and since then has played 665 matches across the three formats for the Club, scoring over 25,996 runs. He is also the Club’s all-time leading scorer in T20 cricket with 3694 runs.
“I absolutely love the Club and I just want to go on playing here for as long as possible. It’s an amazing job to have and I’m very fortunate to have played for the length of time that I have. When I was offered an extension there was never a question mark about what I was going to do,” said James in an official statement.
“We’ve been playing consistently good cricket for a long time now. We’ve won a trophy and we want to win more. I’ve got every confidence that Somerset can keep pushing for silverware this year and for future years to come,” he added.
The former Millfield School pupil was a key member of Somerset’s last two trophy winnings teams, scoring the winning runs when the Club lifted the Twenty20 Cup in 2005 and the Royal London One-Day Cup in 2019.
“To be successful there has to be a good succession plan in place and the Club are doing really well in that regard with the number of players that are coming through the Academy and making an impact on the First Team,” said James
“We’ve got exciting young players coming through who have already contributed to Somerset winning matches and that’s a great sign. The older boys are still desperate to contribute to wins as well and we’re always keen to help out the younger guys coming through,” he added.
Somerset Director of Cricket, Andy Hurry said,” What can you say about James Hildreth that hasn’t already been said? He is phenomenal both on the field and off it. He is one of the most respected players in the domestic game because he has consistently delivered with the bat and in the field and his record speaks for itself.” (ANI)