Dave Houghton has praised Player of the Year, Matt Critchley’s, improvement in the 2020 season, and believes it’s a testament to the all-rounder’s hard work.
Critchley was presented with the award after claiming 17 wickets in the Bob Willis Trophy, the most of any bowler in the North Group, and scoring 234 runs at an average of 39.00, including one half-century.
The 24-year-old also exhibited his white-ball bowling ability in the Vitality Blast, claiming four wickets and maintaining an economy rate of 7.79. With the bat, his 154 runs came with a high-score of 44 and a strike rate of 111.59.
He recently signed a new two-year extension with the club, and Head of Cricket, Houghton, believes that this season’s performances show that Critchley is heading in the right direction.
“He got some good runs in four-day cricket and I suppose the only thing he would be disappointed with is that he never converted and got a hundred. But I thought in particular his bowling really changed this year,” said Houghton.
“He’s gone from a guy who rolled out a few easy scoring opportunities in the first few overs and took some time to get into his spells. In the past he’s been a little bit guilty of bowling too slowly, giving the ball too much time in the air, which allowed good batters to use their feet and hit him back over his head.
“This year, he changed the pace that he bowled at and he was on the money from ball one of almost every spell and I’m glad he got the results.
“To get a five-for and bowl a side out at Leicester in the second game, that’s the sort of thing that needs a few more people to really pay attention. I think he’s a really fantastically talented cricketer and he got better and better this season. ”
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