"We Can't Wait To Get Underway" | Thomas Talks 2025 Opener

Alfonso Thomas believes his Leicestershire side are in the ‘perfect position’ heading into their 2025 season opener away at Glamorgan on Friday.

Speaking in the Uptonsteel County Ground sunshine ahead of the trip to Sophia Gardens, the 48-year-old told Foxes TV he couldn’t have asked for a better lead up to the campaign.

“It’s been beautiful,” Thomas said. “We came back from Cyprus in early March and we’ve been outside ever since. A lot of credit goes to our groundstaff for that. They’ve been fantastic in getting us out in the middle and helping us maximise our preparation.

“The two practice games warmed us up nicely and complemented the work we’ve done indoors throughout the winter. There have been a lot of notable improvements made, and I believe we have a squad that can be very competitive this year. We can’t wait to get underway.”

A squad brimming with talent “ both young and old “ the Foxes have been boosted by the permanent arrival of Ian Holland, the return of Somerset all-rounder Ben Green on loan, as well as new Club Captain Peter Handscomb, while Netherlands all-rounder Logan van Beek is due to arrive ahead of the clash with Derbyshire next week.

With such depth at his disposal, Thomas is relishing the selection headaches he and his staff will be forced to contend with this term. “We had some tough calls to make on the squad, but that’s a great place for us to be as a club. We’re very excited with the group we’re taking to Glamorgan.

“We have a lot more experience in our ranks now. There’s a balance we’ve been striving for and depth-wise, we have exactly what we’re after. There has to be competition for places, guys have to be on their toes, and that should bring the best out of the squad.”

It’s a squad which will have a new leader as Leicestershire step out onto the field in Cardiff, with new Club Captain Peter Handscomb assuming responsibility for the Championship and One Day sides this summer. For Thomas, selecting the Australian international was a simple decision.

“For us it was a no-brainer to appoint Pete. He’s been with us for a couple of years and has been a fantastic performer, but he also possesses the character as a person that we like. He has a calm aura around him, which our lads seem to enjoy, and helps keep us focussed on the field.”

A proven run-scorer, rapidly approaching 20,000 career runs, the Foxes’ boss acknowledges the one concern given the added weight of responsibility on the 2024 Cricketer of the Year.

“Hopefully Pete being captain doesn’t take away from his performances, which have been so strong in recent seasons. He’s captained across formats back in Australia, and here in county cricket, so he’s well-equipped to dealing with those challenges. He’ll have a support network around him who will assist however we can.”

As the team prepares to take to the pitch on Friday morning, Thomas says it’s Handscomb who will have the final words of encouragement. Instead, the South African’s role will be to reiterate the messages he’s been fervently so endorsing all winter.

“It’s my job to put players’ minds at ease. There’s always a mixture of anxiety and excitement but I’ll remind the players to stick to our processes. We will be focused on what we do well, and where we can improve from last year.

“We’ve had fantastic preparation, so I’ll be telling guys: ‘go out there and back yourselves.’ It’s important to stick to what’ve we’ve been working on and to make sure we play to our potential. If we do that, we’ll be successful.”