SOMERSET skipper Tom Abell hopes the experience of a “tough” first year in charge at Taunton will stand his side in good stead to challenge for honours in 2018.
The county struggled last season, only managing to stave off relegation on the final afternoon with a comprehensive victory over Middlesex. Abell’s own form suffered and he dropped himself in mid-summer following a run of low scores before finding his touch again with 96 against Surrey.
Somerset see the appointment of 23-year-old Abell as a longterm investment and have reappointed him captain for the Championship this year. He will also take the reins in the Royal London Cup for the first time.
As a Taunton-born batsman, his captaincy reflects a commitment by the club to invest in homegrown talent.
Abell told The Cricket Paper: “When I was appointed club captain last year, that was very special and this year is no different. Captaining the one-day side will be a huge thing for me and something where I hope I can really bring something to the side.
“Last year was a massive learning curve for me. It was obviously a slightly indifferent year from me as an individual and for us as a side, but I think that experience will put us in good stead moving forward.”
Abell paid tribute to the senior pros at the club who supported him during his first year in charge such as Marcus Trescothick, James Hildreth and Peter Trego: “It was a difficult season but I had some fantastic people around me to help me through what were pretty tough times.
“Going through the tough parts, towards the back end of the season I really felt like my learning came to the fore. From a cricket point of view, there were so many things that you pick up through the season and I’m obviously lucky that we’ve got some fantastically experienced players that were desperate to help me as a captain.
This story is from the February 02,2018 edition of The Cricket Paper.
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This story is from the February 02,2018 edition of The Cricket Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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