Heard about it back in the middle of summer, so not really a surprise.
Looks as though Davies will be appointed as club captain, and the coronation will be complete. Who knows, maybe the captaincy will bring the best out of him.
But can’t help but feel, this has been a process which ends with Davies as captain and keeper in all formats and it’s basically been Robinsons plan all along.
I'm gutted about this, he was a good captain I felt who the team really responded to and he looked like he was just turning the corner with his own form. This is a blow.
Out of contract at the end of next season I think...
Great shame, has always struck me as a wholehearted and committed captain, and an overall thoroughly decent chap. He didn't always get it right - who does - and he lead us to an unlikely Championship title which to me will be his legacy.
I hope he refinds his form which looked to be coming back towards the end of the season, and I hope he stays with us when his contract is up.
Rhodes was a captain who managed to be a big part of the team but got the 'One of the Boys/Captain', mix, right and it never came across that anyone didn't get on with him. Not sure that Davies is a good choice, surely you have to be an integral part of the team to actually be in charge on the field and I really have no idea just what sort of relationship he has with the rest of the side. As for wicketkeeping, Burgess is the best of the 2 and it would be ridiculous to not give him the gloves.
I agree that Will Rhodes was a good captain; and he can look back with pride at leading the team to the County Championship.
As for who takes over, let's not forget that Moeen was the official T20 Blast captain last year. His Test recall got in the way of him actually leading the team onto the field too often (just four matches played); but it would be reasonable to assume that he will keep the job and have more availability this year. So it's likely to be a question of who leads the team in the Championship and the 50 over competition. As for Alex Davies, I assume, like Moeen, he will be playing in The Hundred again which rules him out of the 50 over captaincy. So if he was given the job for the Championship, it would mean three different captains - Moeen for the Blast, Davies for the Championship and A. N. Other for the 50 over.
As Ed Barnard and Michael Burgess should be two of the first names on the tesamsheet, in all formats, perhaps they would be the perfect combination to be captain and VC.
I honestly feel that appointing Davies would be a very bad decision, and will harm the teams prospects for the season and beyond.
Sorry to see Rhodes give up the captaincy: I think he's done well. He might not have the on-field persona of Jeetan Patel but he hasn't done a lot wrong and carries himself with calm authority. Good man - I wish him well in his continuing playing days.
Very good summing up UrsaMinor, calm authority captures the man & he'll be hard to replace. Does anybody know if there is a premium salary for captaining the county championship / 50 over side? Seems at the moment players are very fixed on playing T20 which I would guess is in the hope of picking up a deal for The Hundred which pays £30k / 50k even for fringe players . Once you have a gig in the Hundred there's the hope of being picked for one of the second tier overseas T20 competitions. Seems the incentives are askew.
What I would say is that I feel a top 3 batsman might be best to be avoided as captain. Because it’s our big weakness, and in a purely performance sense, those players need to concentrate on their batting. They can provide leadership through runs and performances.
Personally I’ve never been one for bowlers as captains, can be hard to juggle the physical demands with the mental, and choosing when to bring yourself on, plus the higher potential for injuries.
So just my view that really limits it to Hain, Mousley, Barnard and Burgess. Though I suspect it won’t be one of those.
Sam is our best batsman by far, he doesn't need the extra stress.
Mousley hasn't established himself in the side.
Barnard or Burgess would be the best options, however we all know that Robinson will make a dreadful decision and give the job to Davies, with Yates as VC, meaning their mediocrity is rewarded further, and ensuring we have another year, or more of poor starts to every innings.
I’d quite like Davies to get it and Yates to be VC just to see how Highveld reacts as the season goes on. Imagine if we did well with those two as leaders!?
I mean seriously, as Elsa put it so well…let it go. I don’t think Davies has been a particularly good signing, and Yates has had his struggles at times, but I don’t feel it necessary to include them in every comment I make.
Whoever gets it, I’ll support and encourage them. Rhodes got a lot of stick on social media (as every players seems to at times) but he always carried himself well and he was captain of a championship winning side….not many can say that.
The mention of possibly bringing in someone from outside is interesting.
Who might it be?
When I said in an earlier post that I thought that Moeen would retain the T20 Blast captaincy, I was overlooking that the WorldT20 is happening in June 2024 and Moeen may well be involved in that, as evidenced by his selection for the IT20 West Indies series.
Precise dates for the Blast aren't clear at the moment, although Finals Day is back to being held in September; and the start will be on 1 June with another Blast Off - the Derbyshire website confirms: "The event, which is becoming established as one of the premier events in the English cricketing summer, will take place on Saturday 1 June, and see Birmingham Bears and Derbyshire Falcons both feature as home teams."
Ed Barnard named as Warwickshire vice captain.