In his first interview since being appointed Club Captain, Leus du Plooy discusses how he will approach the role and looks ahead to the 2023 season.
Having scored more than 1,000 runs across the LV= County Championship and Vitality Blast last season, du Plooy will lead the team in 2023 after being offered the captaincy by Head of Cricket, Mickey Arthur, taking over from long-time skipper, Billy Godleman.
The left-handed batter captained the side in three fixtures in 2022, with the highlight being a fightback victory over Worcestershire at New Road, having been 14-5 early on Day One.
Currently out in South Africa playing for Boland, and preparing for the inaugural SA20 with the Joburg Super Kings, du Plooy says the opportunity to captain Derbyshire full time next season is one he’s relishing.
“It feels like a huge honour,” he said.
“To be captain, and to lead any team or organisation is a huge honour. It’s a big step for me, personally, but it eases my mind a lot that I’ve got experienced guys who have done the job around, and with Mickey backing me for the role.
“We will continue with the brand of cricket we played last year, but try to up it by 10/15%, that’s what Mickey will be expecting from us, from what I’ve seen so far, with the messages we’ve had, it’s very clear.
“We were aiming high last season and didn’t quite get there, but we’ll be aiming even higher next season and we’ll be giving our all.”
Click the video above to watch the full ten-minute interview.
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