Ajmal Shahzad has had little under a week to work with Derbyshire’s bowlers but is already encouraged by the promise within the squad ahead of the 2021 summer.
The 35-year-old’s appointment as Assistant Coach (Bowling Lead) now means Derbyshire’s players can turn to a trio of coaches all of whom have international experience, while Shahzad hopes his recent involvement in the first-class game can only help the club’s bowlers to develop.
Shahzad said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity for me personally and where Derbyshire are in their cricket, it’s a great time to be coming on board.
“Steve [Kirby] has left the club in a great place and the MCC was a fantastic platform for me and the Young Cricketers program was a great place for me to learn more about myself and develop my skills in the Head Coach role.
“This is a great transition for me in my journey as a coach and I hope to have success here.
“I’ve recently come out of the game and that transition from player to coach has been seamless and I feel in touch with how the modern players think.
“There’s lots of potential here. When applying for the role I looked down the squad and it’s really encouraging. There’s a blend of different types of bowlers and that’s what is really exciting for me.”
Full interview with Shahzad
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