Tony Palladino says the tour of Abu Dhabi was great for team morale and could set the side up for a great season ahead in all forms.
Derbyshire enjoyed a successful tour in the United Arab Emirates, winning all four one-day fixtures against Worcestershire, Leicestershire and local side Danube Lions.
Now back in Derby, Palladino believes the squad are in good shape as they prepare for their first pre-season friendly against Yorkshire, starting on Tuesday 5 April at The 3aaa County Ground.
Palladino said: “Pre-season has been very good. Abu Dhabi was great and we won all four games which has never happened in my time at Derbyshire.
“Each game had a different challenge; chasing under pressure, having to bowl well under pressure. Hopefully we can put that in to practice in the season.
“It’s been a couple of weeks since we’ve got back from Abu Dhabi. We’ve managed to get outside and training’s been good.
“We’ve been getting overs into our legs and the batters have been hitting a lot of balls. We’re feeling pretty good and ready for the new season.
“For me, this winter was about strengthen my knee after the injury I sustained last season. Since Christmas, it’s been really good, I’ve been bowling and running around. I’m now back 100% fit and ready to go.
“Last year I was only really playing four-day cricket and the odd T20. But I’ve spoken to Graeme and he’s keen for me to be available for selection in all forms.
“My job is to stay fit and bowl a good amount of overs, if I do that I’ll play in plenty of games. But I’m not trying to put too much pressure on myself, at my age it’s about getting overs under my belt and good form.”
Palladino added: “Mark Footitt took a lot of wickets in the last few seasons and it’s going to be hard to replace that with just one man.
“But it’s not about just one bloke stepping up and taking all those wickets. It’s the whole bowling unit adding five, ten or fifteen extra wickets to their numbers from last year.
“We’ve also added two quality bowlers to our line-up in Tom Milnes from Warwickshire and Andy Carter from Notts. We’ve got a young bowling attack, a really promising attack and it’s quite exciting. We’ve got big young lads that can bowl fast.
“The Abu Dhabi tour was successful. Each game had a different challenge; chasing under pressure, having to bowl well under pressure. Hopefully we can put that in to practice in the season.”
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