Pierre’s England stint can inspire
LEICESTERSHIRE head coach Pierre de Bruyn is confident his time with the England set-up this summer will help the county produce international players of the future.
De Bruyn will spend two days with coach Trevor Bayliss and the national squad before England’s first ever day-night Test match, against West Indies at Edgbaston, in August.
The plan to involve county coaches with the England side is designed to aid coach development and ensure each county is on the same page when it comes to progressing talent.
If successful, it should help domestic players make the step up from the County Championship to Test match level.
And de Bruyn is planning to glean every ounce of information he can from his spell with England in order to aid his Leicestershire squad.
“It’s a great opportunity. I was flattered and grateful to be invited and I am really looking forward to it,” he explained.
“I think it’s a great initiative which allows county cricket to be familiar with what they expect at that level. I will learn and hell of a lot that’s something I am very much looking forward to.
“It’s about going there to understand what England cricket is all about and take those messages back to county cricket and instilling them into the county.
“That creates an environment where everyone is on the same page. Everyone’s striving for the same goals and it’s a pink ball Test match so there will be new information I can get as a coach.”
De Bruyn wants to replicate the success Leicestershire had with Stuart Broad and James Taylor, who started their careers at the county before going on to Nottinghamshire and England.
And the South African is insistent that despite his county’s relatively small size, they should be aiming and able to produce international cricketers.
“All counties should have that vision and the interests of England cricket and that’s certainly my vision and focus,” he added.
“We need to create an environment where we want to push players on to the next level and there are exciting players in the squad.
“It’s highly important that small counties like Leicester do not forget we have the right to produce England players.”