Mitchell thriving in Leach regime
FROM the outside, this winter’s changes at Worcestershire appear to be working.
New skipper Joe Leach has won four out of four in the County Championship while former captain Daryl Mitchell is back scoring big runs in both formats.
The experienced batsman scored 120 against Derbyshire and 161 and 78 not out against Northamptonshire to follow up three half-centuries in the oneday cup.
But the 33-year-old doesn’t believe his own and the county’s upturn in fortunes are related to him losing the captaincy after six years in the role.
“Losing the captaincy hasn’t really freed me up because I was always good at compartmentalising between the captaincy and the batting,” he said.
“I’ve always worked hard on my batting and found time for that, so I don’t think that’s too different.
“I’m probably a little bit more relaxed about things as you are when you’re not specifically in a leadership role.
“Maybe that has an effect but I don’t think so because I had a fantastic finish to last year and fortunately I’ve carried that on.
“The one-day competition came at the right time and freed me up to strike the ball without worrying about technique too much and I managed to take that into the last couple of Championship games.”
And with Mitchell leading the way with the bat, he averages 65 from seven innings with a high score of 161, captain Leach is doing similarly well with the ball.
The new skipper has raced to 26 wickets in just four County Championship games including a ten-wicket haul against Northamptonshire back in April.
Mitchell admits while he’s still eager to share ideas with the new skipper, he has been impressed with how Leach has led the team so far with the guidance of coach Steve Rhodes.
He said: “Sometimes a fresh approach and a fresh voice is what you need and he’s done well, the results have been good.
“The lads have performed under Joe and he’s shown a lot of skill and qualities in the way he’s led the team.
“He’s comes to me a lot to ask for advice and we’re pretty good mates off the field. We’ve got a good relationship.
“We spend a lot of time together, he comes to me asking a lot of questions here and there and I go to him with a few ideas – it’s up to him whether he uses them.
“It’s about trying to draw on other people’s ideas and experience, not just myself, and that’s been invaluable for him.”
Twice Worcestershire earned promotion to Division One during Mitchell’s tenure, and the club are third in the league table with a game in hand on Nottinghamshire and Kent above them.
But the opener is not getting carried away by early season talk of another promotion.
“There’s absolutely no danger of us getting complacent. You’re only one game away from another defeat,” he added.
“There are a lot of good sides in Division Two, so you’ve got to be right on the money and keep trying to improve.” Read the report on Worcestershire’s win over Northants – page 29