Fynn Hudson-Prentice believes that the signings of Sean Abbott and Ben McDermott will make Derbyshire even stronger in this year’s Vitality Blast.
The Australia duo will both be available for the Twenty20 competition, which saw Derbyshire reach Finals Day for the first time last season.
Fast bowler, Abbott, claimed 14 wickets in just seven matches as part of the Sydney Sixers side that won the Big Bash in February.
McDermott, a wicketkeeper-batsman, also reached the knockout stages of that tournament with Hobart Hurricanes, scoring one half-century in the process.
The pair will join a Derbyshire Falcons side boasting a top order that scored 14 T20 half-centuries last season and Ravi Rampaul, who finished as the Vitality Blast’s leading wicket-taker in 2019 with 23 dismissals.
Hudson-Prentice is one of a number of young players who featured in the competition last year, and he believes the added quality of Abbott and McDermott will help Derbyshire compete for success once again.
“To have two players with the international class of Sean and Ben coming in, it does feel like they will strengthen us even further,” said Hudson-Prentice.
“Abbott has been fantastic over the years, I’ve watched him in the Big Bash and he has taken wickets for fun, and Ben McDermott can hit the ball as far as he wants, so they are players we can really look up to.
“I’m really looking forward to working with them both, especially when we have got a relatively young group of players. To listen to them, and see how they go about their business will be good for us as a squad.”
The Falcons have retained most of the squad that made it to Finals Day last season, with younger players developing into rotation options across all formats.
Hudson-Prentice thinks the closeness of the Derbyshire squad will give them added confidence heading into the new season.
“Derbyshire is one of those clubs where you work alongside your friends, and it’s really good when you can see them kick on,” he added.
“Obviously, some of these players have been playing together since they were quite young and they have come through everything together. It’s about joining that ethos where we are trying to push each other forward.
“It’s great fun to be around that kind of environment where you can be hard on each other in training and then go for a coffee afterwards and still hang out as a squad.
“You are playing a professional sport, but you’re playing with people that really care about you and that’s something the can drive a team to success, and hopefully we can keep playing together and bring success to Derbyshire.”
Vitality Blast tickets go on sale on Monday 2 March at 10AM, with a record number of tickets already sold during the pre-sale window.
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