Sam Conners is excited by the prospect of learning from new Derbyshire signing Sean Abbott in the 2020 season.
Australia fast bowler, Abbott, has joined the club for the first half of the 2020 season, and will feature in both the Specsavers County Championship and Vitality Blast for Derbyshire.
Conners, 20, featured in both the Royal London One-Day Cup and the Specsavers County Championship last season, but saw his momentum thwarted by a back injury.
Now, the young bowler is hungry to earn more opportunities in the side, and hopes to benefit from working with Abbott and learning from his experience.
“With Sean Abbott coming in, it adds another player to work with and gain experience from,” said Conners.
“I want to learn as much as I can from him. I learnt from Tony (Palladino) and Ravi (Rampaul) last season, and that helped me a lot, so a player like Sean coming in will help us even more.”
“I was really frustrated to pick up a back injury right after the Lancashire game, where I thought I did quite well for myself.
“Next year, I am looking to play as much as possible. I want to push myself during the winter and hopefully break into the side next summer.”
Conners is one of a number of younger players in the Derbyshire squad, and he says having players fighting for places in the team is something that helps their development.
“You always want competition in the team, and the players that have come in so far are excellent. It’s good for us as young players to be fighting for spots, as it brings the best out of you.
“To have so many youngsters in the squad trying to earn places, it really helps you as a player.”
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