2023 was a turbulent year for the Foxes, with the replacement of their head coach, Paul Nixon mid season, but despite the upheavals they will be more than happy with their performances on the field. They won the One Day cup and finished fourth in Division Two of the Championship. The one disappointment will have been just two wins in the Blast, a competition they have enjoyed much success in over the years. The good news for 2024 is that Alfonso Thomas and James Taylor, who took over as interim coaches following Nixon’s departure, have stayed on as head coach and assistant coach respectively.
They have lost club stalwarts Colin Ackerman and Callum Parkinson, but Chris Wright’s announced move to Sussex was called off. There has been a like-for-like replacement of Parkinson, with Liam Trevaskis making the move in the opposite direction from Durham, while all-rounder Ben Mike has returned after completing just one year of his three year deal at Yorkshire.
Wicket keeper/batter Ben Cox has moved from Worcestershire, while young Hampshire and Scotland seamer, Scott Currie is available on a season long loan. Leicestershire have also retained the services of their two overseas players, Australia’s Peter Handscomb and South African Wiaan Mulder. They had drafted in Australian batter Will Pucovski as cover for Wiaan Mulder, whose appearance will be delayed by commitments at the end of the South African season. However Pucovski has had to pull out following yet another concussion suffered in a recent Sheffield Shield game.
Lewis Hill remains at the helm on the field, having had a successful 2023 with the bat, amassing 880 runs at 40.00. However it was opener Rishi Patel who had the biggest impact, passing the 1000-run mark in the Championship, with four centuries. He has always looked an excellent prospect at the top of the order, but has always found ways of getting himself out. The hope will be that he has broken the jinx and the runs will continue to flow. He signed a two year contract during last season and Leicestershire supporters will be hoping more big scores do not attract the interest of other counties.
The question is who joins him at the top of the order? Sol Budinger was his partner for most of the season, but a return of just 393 runs at 19.65 meant he was replaced by Sam Evans for the last two games. He managed 47 runs from three innings and it remains to be seen who will get the nod.
Meanwhile the loss of Ackerman will leave a big hole in the middle order. The highlight of 2023 was the defeat of Hampshire in the One-Day cup final, where the key performance came from Harry Swindells, whose 117 from 96 balls rescued them from a perilous 89/6.
Swindells had lost his place as the first choice keeper due to some lacklustre performances behind the stumps in recent years and there are plenty of options with the recruitment of Cox, as well as Handscomb and Hill. However, his cup final performance led to Swindells playing the last two Championship, top-scoring with 73 against Yorkshire. He was also rewarded with a new two -year deal and will be in competition for a middle order slot with the likes of Louis Kimber, who had a disappointing 2023.
On the bowling front, the fact that Wright is staying will be a big boost. He will be 39 this summer, but remained the main threat with the ball in 2023 with 48 wickets at 27.43. He received welcome support from Tom Scriven, while Mulder turned in stronger performances with both bat and ball. Mike was not part of the Yorkshire Championship team and will be keen to re-establish his red ball credentials, providing change bowling options along with Matt Salisbury. Josh Hull is a young bowler who will also be in the mix.
England’s leg spinner, Rehan Ahmed has signed a new contract which will keep him at the club until 2027. He played nine Championship games last summer, in which his contributions with the bat (529 runs at 35.26) outshone those with the ball (eight wickets at 66.12). New-signing Trevaskis will likely have more of a role in the white ball competitions.
Key player
Rishi Patel will be keen to make sure that 2023 was not a one off. Still only 25-years-old, he has time on his side and his stroke play is always a joy to watch. He started off as primarily a red ball player, but in the last couple of years has played more T20 games. In last year’s Blast he scored 390 runs at a strike rate of 146.6, including a century off just 45 balls against Durham and will undoubtedly have an eye on more lucrative franchise contracts. Hopefully this will not have a negative impact on his red ball batting and will likely make him more attractive to the England selectors.
One to watch
Josh Hull was part of the successful One-Day cup side and showed his mettle by defending seven runs in the last over of the final. The tall, 19-year-old left arm seamer has already played for the Young Lions and is sure to be on England’s radar. If he stays fit, he looks to have a bright future in all formats.
Overseas signings: Wiaan Mulder (South Africa), Peter Handscomb (Australia)
Ins: Liam Trevaskis (Durham), Ben Cox (Worcestershire), Ben Mike (Yorkshire), Scott Currie (Hampshire, season-long loan)
Outs: Colin Ackermann (Durham), Callum Parkinson (Durham), Will Davis (released), Ed Barnes (released), Nick Welch (released), Scott Steel (released), Arron Lilley (released), Michael Finan (released)
How will they fare: Leicestershire have a habit of surprising the pundits as well as the opposition and if everyone stays fit they could do it again. The One-Day cup remains their best chance of success, but who knows?.
Opening fixture: CC vs Yorkshire on April 5 at Headingley, Leeds
That is an accurate description of the Foxes. I think we are on the climb so maybe another tilt at a trophy is not impossible. Keep the Faith. LCCTID. 🙂