Head coach Matt Maynard has named a 13-man squad for Glamorgan’s opening Specsavers County Championship fixture of the season against Northamptonshire at Sophia Gardens tomorrow.
Chris Cooke will lead the side after being installed as club captain this winter, while the team could feature three players making their Specsavers County Championship debuts for the club in new signings Billy Root, Charlie Hemphrey and Australian overseas player Marnus Labuschagne.
Kiran Carlson joins the squad after featuring for Cardiff MCCU in their previous two matches, including the against Glamorgan last week, and Marchant de Lange makes his first appearance in a Specsavers County Championship squad since last year’s match against Leicestershire in May, where he struck 90 to almost seal a dramatic victory.
Facing a tough Northamptonshire outfit who were on course to defeat Middlesex last week, de Lange stated the importance of hitting the ground running and the impact of momentum on the side.
“We’ve got a strong, up-and-coming group,” said de Lange. “We’ve made some positive changes and I can’t wait to see how we do.
“It’s important to start well. We want to start on a high, build some momentum and make sure we have some momentum going in to the Royal London One-Day Cup. It’s key to get off to a good start.
“They’ve got a lot of strength in their side and they are always tough opposition. They beat us pretty easily last season and we want to make things a lot harder for them.
“There’s a lot of experience coming in from all over the world to play on the county circuit, so to face an international star like Jason Holder will be really exciting.”
Having not played a red-ball game since that incredible knock against Leicestershire, de Lange is looking forward to getting over his injury problems and playing regular red-ball cricket again.
“I’m excited to get started. It’s been a while since I’ve played red-ball cricket and I can’t wait to get back out on the park.
“Physically I’m feeling good. All the injuries are sorted and I’m feeling well. I want to play every game and perform as well as I can for the team. I have lots of goals I want to accomplish both for myself and for the team.
“Making sure you are fit for the game all depends on the preparation. We’ll aim to manage my workload better and try to keep the spells short and sharp. Before a championship game you bowl a bit longer in nets to get your body ready.
“Last season was very frustrating sitting on the sidelines. I wanted to contribute to the team. I can’t change anything about it now so I have to focus on looking forward.”
Glamorgan squad to face Northamptonshire: Cooke (c), Bull, Carey, Carlson, de Lange, Hemphrey, Hogan, Labuschagne, Lloyd, Root, Selman, van der Gugten, Wagg