We're ready for opener - Nixon

Leicestershire CCC Head Coach Paul Nixon has promised supporters his side will play “brave” cricket when they start the Specsavers County Championship campaign against Sussex CCC at the Fischer County Ground tomorrow (11am start).

The former Foxes wicket-keeper, who has named a 14-man squad for the match, is relishing the prospect of putting months of preparation into practice. 

“The weather will be fine, the ground is looking a picture and we want to put on a show for the Leicestershire supporters,” said Nixon.

“We want to play brave cricket, with the bat, the ball and in the field. Sussex will be tough opponents - they’re a big club, they’ve been in the top division for a long period, and like us they’ve undergone a lot of change, with Mark Davis and Jon Lewis leaving and Jason Gillespie coming in.

“But we’re on the way up: we’ve done our homework on them, we know their players, and now we have to make sure we execute our plans. 

“There’ll be testing times, of course there will, and we have to have the calmness and the resilience to get through those, but we don’t talk about nerves, we talk about excitement, and even the most experienced players in our squad are excited about getting out there.”

New skipper Michael Carberry leads an experienced batting line-up, and newcomer Ateeq Javid, signed from Warwickshire CCC in the close season, is included as cover for Ned Eckersley, who has a groin ‘niggle’ and may not be risked. Mark Cosgrove has recovered from illness to take his place in the squad.

On the bowling front, overseas seamer Muhammad Abbas is set for his Leicestershire CCC first-class debut. 

Nixon has plenty of choices in the seam department with paceman Zak Chappell and left arm quick Dieter Klein pushing for places in the XI alongside Abbas, Ben Raine, Gavin Griffiths and Neil Dexter. Callum Parkinson provides the Foxes with a spin option.

“Pre-season has been challenging at times because of the amount of rain there’s been, but the bowlers and batsmen are all confident after a good run out in the games we’ve had, and the good weather in the last few days has given us the chance to get in some really good practice out in the middle,” said Nixon. “Now it’s time to deliver.”

Sussex CCC collected 12 points from a solid opening draw at Warwickshire CCC last week, a game in which David Wiese showed his all-round capabilities. India international Ishant Sharma is another one to watch for the visitors having claimed five wickets on his debut.

The visitors are also under new leadership with Gillespie at the helm. Gillespie has named a 12-man squad for the trip to the Fischer County Ground, with Sussex Cricket Boys’ Academy bowler Will Sheffield missing from the 13 that travelled to Edgbaston.

Leicestershire CCC (from 14): Carberry (capt), Abbas, Ackermann, Chappell, Cosgrove, Dexter, Eckersley, Griffiths, Hill, Horton, Javid, Klein, Parkinson, Raine. 

Sussex CCC (from 12): Brown (capt), Beer, Burgess, Finch, Robinson, Salt, Sharma, van Zyl, Whittingham, Wiese, Wells, Wright.

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