County cricket preview 2019: Leicestershire
We look at Leicestershire’s prospects for the 2019 county cricket season and wonder whether Mohammad Abbas will aid their promotion aspirations.
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Captain: Paul Horton
Last season: CC2:6/10; RL50: 8/9 North Group; T20: 8/9 North Group
Transfers in: Will Davis (Derbyshire), Arron Lilley (Lancs), Chris Wright (Warks)
Transfer out: Zak Chappell (Notts), Ben Raine (Durham), Michael Carberry, Cameron Delport, Ned Eckersley, Richard Jones, Mark Pettini, Rob Sayer, Tom Wells (all released)
Stick on: Mohammad Abbas
Available, in theory at least, for the duration of the Championship and One-Day Cup, the Pakistani metronome could turn Leicestershire into promotion contenders, particularly with three teams going up. Abbas took 50 Championship wickets in 10 matches last season – a full campaign could be carnage.
Wildcard: Will Davis
Recruited from Derbyshire, the 22-year-old quick has struggled with injury but is a like-for- like replacement for Zak Chappell, who has made the all-too-familiar switch from Grace Road to Trent Bridge.
Prediction
CC2: 5/10; RL50: 9/9 North Group; T20: 9/9 North Group
Strong early-season form raised hopes of promotion last year but they were let down by their batting, with Colin Ackermann the only player to post a Championship hundred. If their batsmen can come to the party, and Chris Wright can fill the void left by Ben Raine, a push for promotion looks more likely than a basement battle. With Abbas on board, anything is possible.
This county cricket 2019 preview was first published in issue 18 of Wisden Cricket Monthly. Subscribe here.