McDonald determined to hit the ground running

Leicestershire CCC Elite Performance Director Andrew McDonald is happy with how things are taking shape ahead of the 2016 season.

It has been a busy winter for the cricket department with a coaching restructure and the additions of a number of quality signings including Neil Dexter, Paul Horton and Mark Pettini.

McDonald arrived at the Fischer County Ground, Grace Road on Monday, February 1 alongside new Academy Director Nic Pothas, and Second XI and Assistant Skills Coach Pierre de Bruyn will start his new role in the near future.

Elite Development Coach Keith Piper has been putting the players through their paces alongside the club’s Science & Medicine team and their work has allowed McDonald to slot straight back into life at Leicestershire CCC.

McDonald said: “It’s nice to have arrived in Leicester a couple of months earlier than last year, the guys have been working hard before I arrived and have continued that. Keith Piper, Crofton Alexander (Head of Strength and Conditioning) and Rob Leather (Head Physiotherapist) have got the players in good shape and done a great job.

“We’re all expecting to be competitive, we’ve added value and there will be an expectation that more results go in our favour. We’ll be setting high standards again.

“Everything is gelling nicely, we’re starting to get the semblance of the full squad together and Paul Horton, Mark Pettini and Neil Dexter are fitting in well. Their leadership qualities are already coming through and they have been educating the younger players. All three of them have a hard edge and when we get into game play, they will help to make sure that we function well as a team.”

The additions to the batting unit will supplement a Leicestershire bowling attack that flourished in McDonald’s first season at the helm. Clint McKay, Ben Raine and Charlie Shreck each took more than 50 wickets in the County Championship and McDonald has also added Wayne White, somebody he knew well from his playing days at Leicestershire.

He said: “Clint McKay is a world-class bowler and really underpinned the Sydney Thunder’s success after previously having ODI success with Australia. Clint’s a real banker for us in all formats; we know Clint is a quality white ball bowler and if he stays fit, it will go a long way in allowing us to put a dent in Division Two in the County Championship.

“Ben Raine will only get better because he’s more experienced and knows what he needs to do. The way he operates with Clint McKay and Charlie Shreck is outstanding and I think you’ll see growth in his batting and leadership qualities with the confidence he gained last year. We’re looking to create a system whereby players continually improve and Ben is a great example of that.”

McDonald was pleased with overall progress made in 2015 and now wants the team to come out of the traps quickly this time around.

“It took a while to gel the group with a new coach and captain, and there was always going to be a period of transition while players got used to my expectations,” said McDonald. “From the middle of the year we started to see progress and the last five games were pivotal in showing we had moved forwards.

“We had one win, were driving another game at Northants when rain came, and there was a rain-affected game against Essex. The target we set was possibly a bit on the lenient side but we wanted to learn more about our players in that process.

“There was also a good final day of cricket against Gloucestershire and the players fought really hard in the final match at Derbyshire in a game that could have gone any of four ways.

 “A win reinforces that you’re doing the right things and instils a bit of belief. If you can do that quickly, it goes a long way to set up your season so we are determined to hit the ground running. That is one of the reasons we’re going away to Dubai for a pre-season tour in March.”