Young players take centre stage for final match

24 Sep 2017 | Cricket
Head Coach Robert Croft has named a 12-man squad for Glamorgan’s final Specsavers County Championship match of the season away to Kent at Canterbury tomorrow (Monday).

There are two changes with fast bowler Marchant de Lange rested and Colin Ingram out injured after suffering a side strain during the draw with Gloucestershire in Cardiff last week.

Their absence will give further opportunities to the young Glamorgan players within the squad, most notably opening batsman Nick Selman and the middle order pair of Kiran Carlson and Andrew Salter, all of whom recorded career best scores in the match.

Carlson, who fell for 191 in the first innings, was only nine runs short from becoming the youngest Glamorgan player to score a double century.

Welsh all-rounder David Lloyd returns to the squad for the first time since Glamorgan’s NatWest T20 Blast match against Essex in July after recovering from torn muscles in his forearm. Lloyd has been making his way back from injury for a number of weeks and has played a handful of matches for the seconds during his comeback.

With the improved performances of the batsman against Gloucestershire and the inclusion of eight home grown players in the squad to face Kent, Captain Michael Hogan believes the future is bright for Glamorgan.

“It was great to see the young Welsh perform so well, and with other Welsh born players coming through the system it bodes well for the future,” said Hogan.

“There were really good signs from our batsman in the last game but it’s about consistency and hopefully they can carry on their form against Kent and then into next year.”

With Ingram injured, the county had the option to recall the retiring Jacques Rudolph, who is 175 runs short of 20,000 runs in first-class cricket, but opted instead to blood their younger batsmen. 

"He's had a positive impact and he's turned the culture round," said Hogan of Rudolph. "But Hugh Morris had a chat with Jacques, and it would be unfair on Jacques if we phoned him because of these injuries and said 'by the way, can you come back?'"

"I don't think that would work, so we'll be looking to play some more young Welsh cricketers.

"It's a shame he didn't get his 20,000, I'm sure it's not the end of the world for him though, and he's been a good figure for the club, pushing us in the right direction in the last four years. A hell of a player, he's had a magnificent career, and a good guy."

Glamorgan squad to face Kent: Selman, Brown, Murphy, Carlson, Donald, Cooke, Salter, Meschede, Smith, Carey, Hogan (c), Lloyd