New-style Foxes put promotion on agenda

LEICESTERSHIRE will go into the 2017 season with one aim in mind – promotion.

Just a year and a half ago the county ended a winless run that stretched almost 1,000 days in the County Championship from September 2012 to June 2015.

But last summer the Foxes finished seventh in Division Two, just 21 points behind Worcestershire in third.

There was just one promotion spot from the second tier in 2016, but that goes back to two for this summer and Leicestershire will be coached by a new man this year, too, with Pierre de Bruyn replacing Andrew McDonald at the helm.

And with a full winter to work with the squad, Leicestershire chief executive Wasim Khan is aiming for the side to reach the top.

Khan said: “I have spoken long and hard with Pierre and there will be no excuses.We have got a strong squad and we have strengthened across all departments.

“My job with Pierre has been to create that culture, creating the right squad. One of our aims is to go as far as we can in white-ball cricket which hasn’t been good enough.

“Ultimately, we are a cricket club and we will be judged by our results on the field and this year is for us to look at promotion as being at the top of the agenda.”

This will be Khan’s third year as chief executive with the county improving every year and they have just announced a second successive year of profit, helped by staging an Elton John concert last summer.

Khan added: “What had happened here is that the culture and ambition had eroded. I have tried to be the catalyst to revive the motivation, commitment and enthusiasm within the club.

“We have some great people here and it is down to the staff who have turned the club round. Everybody has committed to delivering on our five-year plan.”