"I've Got The Taste For It" | Budinger Hungry For Further 50-Over Success

Two years on from the fixture which kickstarted their magical journey to One Day Cup glory, Leicestershire are ready to take the first steps in making history repeat itself when they travel to Surrey on Wednesday.

Ahead of the visit to Guildford, we caught up with opener Sol Budinger, who says the Foxes are targeting further 50-over silverware to add to the Grace Road trophy cabinet.

“The boys are very excited to get going,” he smiles. “We've been doing really well in red-ball cricket, and showed improvement in the T20s from last year, so we can’t wait to get out there and show our class.

“Our squad is very strong this year - only losing three guys to The Hundred - which gives us the best chance to get back to Trent Bridge like we did two years ago and hopefully emulate what we did that day.”

With memories of 2023 still burning brightly in his mind, Budinger says that fabled final in Nottingham continues to kindle the flame as the Foxes hunt a second one-day trophy in three seasons.

“That was one of the best days of my life so far. Watching Harry Swindells score that hundred, seeing Smev [Sam Evans] do what he did, and celebrating together with the fans at the end “ those are memories you take on for the rest of your life. It's very important for me to look back and remember, then it gives you more motivation to go and try to do it again.”

An integral component of Leicestershire’s run to the semi-final stages in 2024 “ ending as the competition’s fifth-highest run-getter with 458 at 45.8 - the 25-year-old is ready to use the knowledge he gleaned last summer to go even bigger this time around.

“I've taken so many learnings from last year. I look back and think I probably threw away a few hundreds. I got a lot of starts and converted one against Essex, but you always want more. I look to learn from every game because you’ve never conquered batting. You’ve got to keep growing and hopefully I can take that knowledge into this campaign.

With List A centuries against Essex in both 2023 and 2024, as well as a maiden first-class hundred against Glamorgan earlier this campaign, Budinger is beginning to transform his belligerent flashes into three-figure contributions. For the left-hander, century-making is an addictive feeling.

“I've got the taste for it,” he nods. “Now, I want to do it more, and more consistently, because if I'm performing and helping lay the foundations, the team's probably going to perform as well. My drive for that is really strong.”

Boasting a career average close to 40 in 50-over cricket, it’s a format Budinger is mastering with increasing confidence year-on-year. That ability, he believes, should be credited to the support he’s received from Head Coach Alfonso Thomas and Leicestershire’s coaching staff.

“Fons [Alfonso Thomas], Titch [James Taylor], Dave [Whitmore] and Dips [Patel] worked really hard with me this winter about the technical elements of my game. I sat down and tried to learn from my mistakes from the year before, and they’ve backed me to go out there and play my way in better positions.

“I've played so much professional cricket this year, which has helped keep the ball rolling because I’ve been in good nick. I’ve been happy with how I’ve gone in both four-day cricket and the Blast, so I want to build on that. 

“List A cricket is probably my best format. I've played a lot more of it, and the more games you play, you better understand the tempo you need to go at. Hopefully, I can keep that form going and do the best I can for the team.”

He’ll be re-joined at the top of the order by Rishi Patel, who missed the One Day Cup last season after earning a Blast wildcard selection for The Hundred by Birmingham Pheonix. A successful pairing in four-day and T20 cricket, Budinger is eager to reconnect with his opening partner in the 50-over game.

“We’ve all seen how well Rishi’s done for this club in the last couple of years. His experience and the tempo of his batting is so valuable, and we know he’s capable of making match-winning scores. 

“He has high standards, so if you asked him, he’d say he hasn't performed as well as he’s wanted to this year, but there's a big score coming for someone of his quality. I think we can get the best out of Rishi this month and that’s a very exciting prospect both for him and for the team.”

The duo form part of an embarrassment of riches for a Leicestershire batting lineup also comprising the likes of Australian international Peter Handscomb and Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood. Such a stacked order is a tantalising prospect for the Colchester-born batter.

“Shan coming into the team, with his record in List A cricket, is incredible for us. Pete did so well last year, finishing as the top run-scorer in the competition, so having that international class in the middle order will be massive for us.

“Obviously you don't want to look too far down the order and think ‘Oh, someone else is going to do the work’, but it's also nice to have a little look down to see if you walk off, you've got two Test match players coming in. We know we bat all the way down in all formats.”

The chance to learn first-hand from players of their calibre is an opportunity Budinger is disinclined to turn down. “It’s awesome to have guys like that in the changing room,” he says. “I’m just trying to be a sponge and absorb all the information I can.

“I try to understand what they've been through, what their learnings are, and what’s made them so good. It’s great for them to speak to the younger lads and allow guys to keep picking their brains. It's pretty cool.”

For the third time in four seasons, the Foxes will kick off their one-day campaign away at Surrey. A side usually decimated by The Hundred, the reigning Division One champions will still have England quartet Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, Ben Foakes and fast bowler Matt Fisher at their disposal this time around. Whoever they come up against, Budinger insists Leicestershire will be prepared.

“If big counties like Surrey lose players, they're going to have good academy lads to come out with no fear and no baggage of any cricket. They can go out and play their way risk-free. I think they’ll be stronger this year, but we’ll have our plans for whichever side they put out.

“We can only control what's in front of us. We'll do our best to play our way and try and get the win. We want to get off to a strong start.”