Lewis Hill Appointed County Championship Captain

Leicestershire CCC can today confirm that Lewis Hill has agreed to assume the responsibility of County Championship captain.

Callum Parkinson, whose contract runs out at the end of the 2023 season, does not currently consider himself to be in a position to commit to a contract extension.

Therefore, to best ensure long-term stability and more certainty in the leadership of the Championship team, the Club decided to offer Hill the captaincy. Whilst disappointed with the decision, Parkinson has offered his full support to Hill and the Club.

Hill’s appointment will see him afforded further leadership responsibility at the Club, adding to his duties as One Day skipper, which he began in 2021.

That included captaining the side during their run to a first List A knockout game in 14 years, although the 32-year-old was ruled out on the eve of the quarter-final with a broken hand.

A product of the Leicestershire Academy, Hill has cemented himself as an integral player in the side in recent seasons, with his development best exemplified during the 2021 campaign, where he finished as the Foxes’ top-scorer in red-ball cricket with 944 runs at an average of 44.95, and in the One Day Cup, with 322 runs at 46.

Collectively, Hill has amassed 185 appearances and scored over 5,000 runs for the Club since his debut in 2015, headlined by a career-best score of 145 during the Foxes’ County Championship victory over Sussex in September 2021, a fixture in which the homegrown batter was also presented with his Gold Fox cap.

Discussing his appointment, Hill said: “It’s a really proud moment for me to be selected as captain of Leicestershire. I’ve loved my two seasons skippering the 50-over side, so I’m really excited for the challenge ahead.

“I want to continue the good work Callum led last year. He’s still going to be an important player in our team, and I know I can draw on his experience whenever required.

“There are promising signs within the squad and we’re all fully focused on delivering success in the County Championship next season.”

Director of Cricket, Claude Henderson, said: “Firstly, we want to congratulate Lewis on his new role. We have full belief in his abilities to lead Leicestershire to success moving forwards.

“We also want to thank Callum for his duties during 2022, as well as for standing firmly behind both Lewis and the Club. Although we are disappointed Callum can’t commit at this stage, the Club will continue to have conversations with him to try and ensure his future lies with LCCC.”