London, March 7 (HS): Derbyshire all-rounder David Lloyd has relinquished as club captain ahead of the 2025 season. Lloyd, who moved to Derbyshire from Glamorgan in 2023, was the captain of the team in the County Championship last year, but under his leadership Derbyshire finished bottom of Division Two and received the ‘Wooden Spoon’.
In his first full season, 32-year-old Lloyd performed in the championship at an average of 23.47 with the bat and 31.00 with the ball. He has decided to step down from the captaincy in the hope of better personal performance.
Derbyshire Head of Cricket Mickey Arthur said in a statement issued by the club on Thursday, David tried to give his best in captaincy and he has been a great leader, but the mental pressure of leading the team, trying to regain his form, and maintaining a balance with his family – all these are reasons why it would be better for him to leave this responsibility.
He further said, David has been completely honest with me. He is very excited to contribute to the team and his experience and leadership skills will prove valuable in the dressing room and on the field. We hope to see his best performance this season.
Derbyshire made major changes ahead of the 2024 season, when Lloyd took over the captaincy after the departure of Leus du Plooy. However, the team’s performance did not improve much. After finishing the season without a win in 2023, in 2024 they registered a single win, lost six matches and eventually finished at the bottom of the points table. However, this one win managed to end a five-year drought in Championship cricket at Derby.
On his decision to step down from captaincy, Lloyd said, It was not an easy decision for me, but during the winter I discussed it with my friends, family and teammates, and I think this decision will help me focus on my game.
He further said, It was an honor for me to captain Derbyshire. Now I am excited to play with less pressure, want to capitalize on the opportunity to learn from Mickey and the coaching team and try to show my best performance to our supporters.
He said, We want the team to compete in all formats. I look forward to playing my part in this and helping the new captain in every way possible.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
