Like Glamorgan, Leicestershire have had 12 months of upheaval. Can they shake this off and challenge for promotion to Division 1?
Strengths
James Taylor is one of the best young batsmen in the game and is a good bet for Test honours in the coming years. Skipper Matthew Hoggard may be past his peak but can still be relied upon for wickets and is the perfect mentor for young Nathan Buck who impressed last season. Andrew McDonald is a good choice as overseas player.
Weaknesses
Taylor apart, the batting is woefully inconsistent - despite the presence of a crop of talented youngsters, which means that the strong positions an impressive bowling attack is likely to forge may be frittered away too frequently.
Main man
Buck looks a decent prospect but it has to be James Taylor – he may be behind the likes of Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara and James Hildreth for Paul Collingwood’s old Test place, but a good season may even get him a squad place next winter.
Look out for…
Smiles. These weren’t much in evidence last summer with the much publicised shenanigans at the club, but 2011 should be a much happier and relaxed summer.
Prediction
5th – A possible surprise packet in the promotion stakes if the youngsters flourish, but we expect them to fall short eventually due to the batting.
Where next?
County Championship Previews - Division 2: Derbyshire, Essex, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Kent
County Championship Previews - Division 1: Yorkshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Sussex, Somerset, Nottinghamshire, Lancashire, Hampshire, Durham
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Smiles. These weren’t much in evidence last summer with the much publicised shenanigans at the club, but 2011 should be a much happier and relaxed summer.
Posted by: magic bullet | Thursday, September 01, 2011 at 21:53