Leicestershire have signed batsman Hamza Shaikh from Warwickshire on a three-year contract.

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

Shaikh, who has played for the England Lions second team and also represented his country at under-19 level, has been with Warwickshire since he was 10 years old.

He came through the Edgbaston youth ranks to make his One-Day Cup debut as a 16-year-old in 2022, and also played for the Bears in the County Championship and T20 Blast.

He has so far scored 301 runs in eight first-class appearances, but most 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 “long admired” and described him as an “important signing”.

“He is a young batsman with exceptional talent, an excellent work ethic and, most importantly, a real desire to continue developing his game,” he told the club website., external