Image: Kent Cricket
The Kent Spitfires have appointed Daniel Bell-Drummond as their new club captain, with Sam Billings set to remain in control of the T20 side, despite stepping down as captain last week. Bell-Drummond becomes the club’s 36th captain and will take charge of both the four day and 50 over sides, while Billings will make history in a county first, leading the T20 push across the 2024 season.
Bell-Drummond begins his term as captain following a stellar year, averaging at least 40 with the bat across all formats, and forcing his way into the London Spirit Hundred team at the end of the campaign. An academy graduate, and with the club since 2011, the opening batsman has filled in as captain on multiple occasions in the absence of Billings.
Lifelong Spitfires fan Lee Crone is delighted with appointment, believing that Bell-Drummond bring s a ‘perfect balance’ leading the team forwards. “[I] am very happy to see DBD take over leadership of the club. Being a rare player on the county circuit who’d rather play his cricket for his county than run drinks on in a major tournament – that shows the leadership any club needs.
“That being said, Daniel is one of the most underrated batsman in the country right now and has been very wrongly overlooked for these tournaments. DBD is a people person and a seriously good cricketer. The perfect balance as a cricket captain.”
The change at the top comes after a below-par season from the former skipper, who averaged just 18.5 in the T20 Blast, and was even dropped from the county championship side he captained. A new dawn is around the corner for Kent, with new director of cricket Simon Cook set to combine with Daniel Bell-Drummond to lead the county back towards success.