Croft confident England drought is about to end

IT is 12 years since Glamorgan last had a current England international on the books, but head coach Robert Croft believes they long search for a future star could finally be over.

David Lloyd, Aneurin Donald and Kiran Carlson all produced moments of magic in a transitional 2016 campaign, proving that Croft’s stance of promoting the next generation is paying off.

At the turn of the century, Glamorgan boasted the likes of Simon Jones, Matthew Maynard and Croft flying the Dragons flag in a squad dominated by English Lions.

But since Jones left the Trent Bridge pitch having starred in an Ashes Test win in 2005, no other player has represented both Glamorgan and England concurrently.

“We’re itching to get a talisman again, someone in an England shirt who’ll get column inches and inspire young boys and girls,” Croft said.

“We want to give young players opportunities and it is about getting that balance because every county wants success, so with that expectation comes the temptation of buying ready-made players.

“But we’re trying to make sure we have quality as far as experienced players are con- cerned but also making sure that young players get in the team get time to develop.

“David, Aneurin and Kiran showed what they can do at times last season and we’re excited about them, but there is hard work ahead for them.

“They’re also only as good as the senior players around them, and are getting a hell of a lot of support which I am pleased with.”

Glamorgan finished eighth in Division Two of the County Championship last season, seventh in their Royal London One-Day Cup group and were knocked out in the quarterfinals of the T20 Blast in Croft’s first season in charge.

Fans may be forgiven for treating that campaign as another write-off , but Croft saw enough to suggest he can get the Dragons breathing fire once more.

“I was pleasantly surprised by the capabilities of the squad,” he said. “When we play well we are a match for any side and what we are looking for is consistency.

“It’s an area we want to improve on.You have to shine a torch on some dark corners and find out what went wrong at times.

“We have to assess how this season goes.The players will play a big part in assessing our goals, their connection to the direction we want to go in is a huge part of our plans.”