Rising young all-rounder Balderson secures his future with the Red Rose

The 23-year-old has signed a long-term contract extension which will keep him with the Red Rose until at least the end of 2026.

Since making his Lancashire debut during the 2020 season, the former England Under-19s captain has become a regular in the LV= Insurance County Championship and Metro Bank One Day Cup sides – making a total of 54 appearances for the Red Rose.

Balderson has shown great versatility with the bat combining his usual middle order role with the occasional spell at the top of the order as an opener in red ball cricket.

The 23-year-old scored his first pair of red ball centuries during the 2023 season and currently averages 33 from 48 innings in the County Championship scoring a further eight half-centuries.

His maiden first-class century came against Warwickshire at Edgbaston last July when he struck a superb 116. Later in the summer, he hit 115 against Northants at the County Ground. With the ball, Balderson has developed a reputation as Lancashire’s golden-arm, with his right-arm medium pace often picking up wickets early in his spell and breaking up key partnerships.

In the County Championship, Balderson has claimed 66 wickets – including a famous second innings hat-trick against Essex at Chelmsford as Lancashire won a thriller by 38 runs inside two days. Balderson has also played a key role in the Metro Bank One Day Cup during the last couple of seasons, scoring 463 runs at an average of 36 with the bat and picking up 23 wickets at 28.

After extending his stay with Lancashire until 2026, Balderson said: “I am thrilled to have signed on for at least the next three seasons with the Red Rose and I hope to spend many more years at Emirates Old Trafford after that.

“It has been brilliant to play so much first team cricket during the last few years and to be part of such a talented squad competing at the top end of the County Championship and in the knockout stages of the white- ball competitions.

“As a squad we are looking to push on and win silverware now and individually I am always looking to take the next steps with my game, and it would be great to become an all-formats player for Lancashire in the near future.”

Balderson joins team-mates Tom Bailey, Jack Blatherwick, Josh Bohannon, Tom Hartley, and Luke Wells who have all penned new contracts with Lancashire during the close season.

Director of cricket performance Mark Chilton said: “It is always great news to have tied down one of our homegrown players to a long-term contract extension.

“George has worked incredibly hard to become a regular in the County Championship and One Day Cup during the last few seasons and I know he is also keen to make an impact in the T20 side in the coming seasons.

“At 23-years-old, George already has a very experienced and calm head on his shoulders, and we are looking forward to him taking a more senior role within the dressing room whilst also continuing to set the standards for our younger players.”