Sol Budinger signs one-year contract extension with Nottinghamshire

The 22-year-old academy graduate made his first XI debut in 2021, scoring 165 runs in the Royal London Cup and a further 52 in the T20 Blast

Sol Budinger has signed a one-year contract extension with Nottinghamshire to keep him at the club until at least the end of the 2022 season.

The 22-year-old, who came through the club’s academy, made his first XI debut in 2021, featuring in both the Royal London Cup and T20 Blast.

A top-order batter, Budinger scored 52 runs in five T20 appearances and a further 165 runs at a strike rate of 123.13 in eight List A matches, including a 61-ball 73 against Yorkshire to record his maiden half-century.

He also impressed for the second XI last season, scoring three centuries and five half-centuries across all formats. His best performance came against Derbyshire, with the young batter scoring 114 from just 38 deliveries in a T20 – a knock which stands him in good stead to feel quite at home alongside Alex Hales, Joe Clarke and Ben Duckett in the first XI.

^{Budinger's rapid scoring will help him fit in alongside Alex Hales and Joe Clarke (pictured) in Nottinghamshire's white-ball sides [Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images]}

Commenting on signing his contract extension, Budinger said: "2021 represented a year of personal growth and it’s great to get the opportunity for that to continue. The time I’ve spent within the first team so far has been a great learning experience for me, with a group of lads who made me feel welcome from the outset.

"That’s the environment in which I want to spend more of my time, hopefully for many years to come. It’s going to take some hard yards to achieve that, but I’m here to do whatever it takes."

Head coach, Peter Moores, added: "Whether it’s opening the batting in white-ball cricket, or batting anywhere in the top six against the red ball, Sol is an exciting prospect.

"He’s one of a number of players to emerge from the club’s academy in recent years and join the professional ranks, and it’s great to see that young, homegrown talent coming through.  

"The way Sol goes about his batting, always looking to take the positive option, is something that resonates with his teammates and embodies how we go about our cricket.

"We all see great potential in him as a player and we’ll be working hard to help unlock some more of that in 2022."

RELATED LINKS (open in external window in app)

Meet Sol Budinger, Nottinghamshire's next white-ball hitter