2022 ANNUAL REPORT

23 CRICKET REPORT of 22.35, with career best figures of 8-52 againstWorcestershire. To have an overseas player available for the full duration of the season, at a time when there is so much cricket being played globally, was a true blessing. He has spent a long time apart from family over the last couple of sum- mers, and we are delighted to reward that commitment with a two-year contract covering 2023 and 2024. Over the course of the season, he was well supported by Brett Hutton, Stuart Broad, Jake Ball and James Pattinson, as well as Luke Fletcher, who has been awarded a testimonial year for 2023. Luke is one of the most popular players in the country, let alone our county, and he will no doubt enjoy the full support of players, ex-players, staff, members and supporters for the fundraising efforts. I am also delighted for both Steven Mullaney and Peter Moores that they achieved their ambitions in red- ball cricket this year and that they rightly received plaudits for their leadership in steering the team to Division One. Both are committed characters, and worked tirelessly to get us over the line. Steven deserved his opportunity to lead us to silverware following a few tough years. He captained a talented group very well, whilst Pete’s ability to get the most out of players remains undimmed. With them both at the helm, we believe we are well placed to continue our success. In theVitality Blast, our expectation is to reach the knockout stages.We can’t take for granted how hard it is to do that, but it still hits us hard when we don’t, because of how well we’ve performed over the past decade. This year’s performance does, however, give us an opportunity to reflect. We must revisit what has made us so successful in years gone by whilst we were becoming the envy of many sides domestically for our record in T20 cricket, and we need to return to that point, albeit we have not become a bad side overnight. Performances against Derbyshire, home and away, in particular reminded us of the potential within our squad. Looking forward, there is a lot of competition for places, and adding Olly Stone to the mix, who possesses a point of difference with his pace, provides another dimension. Our task is to field a side we believe to be most capable of winning games, blending the experience in the format which has been so crucial to our success with the young players with the potential to push us further. A positive from the campaign was the form of Ben Duckett, who hit 396 runs in 14 games, at a strike rate of 160.32. He has expanded his game to be able to hit all pockets of the ground and is fearless in his approach. He embodied the way we would like to play our short-format cricket, and, again, was a deserved recipient of an England call-up and contracts around the world. Alex Hales, too, showed why he is heralded internationally, with his 33-ball 91 at Derby, in particular, proving his destructive capability. He was tremendously well placed to make the most of his opportunity in an England shirt when the call came, and his performance in the “LUKE IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR PLAYERS IN THE COUNTRY, LET ALONE OUR COUNTY, AND HE WILL NO DOUBT ENJOY THE FULL SUPPORT OF PLAYERS, EX-PLAYERS, STAFF, MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS FOR THE FUNDRAISING EFFORTS.” Mick Newell on Luke Fletcher’s testimonial year