³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Worcestershire have appointed long-serving all-rounder Brett D'Oliveira as their new club captain.

The 29-year-old replaces Joe Leach, who stepped down from the role in September after five years as skipper.

D'Oliveira made his debut for the Pears in 2011 and on Monday signed a new deal until the end of the 2024 campaign.

"I want to be myself and, if I can lead from the front in everything I'm doing, I will hopefully drag the boys along with me," he said.

"It's been a boyhood dream, if I'm honest, spending all my lifetime at Worcestershire and now being given the opportunity to captain."

D'Oliveira was the team's leading scorer in the T20 Blast in 2021 with 358 runs and made over 1,100 runs in all formats, while he took 27 wickets with his leg-spin.

His grandfather Basil and late father Damian also played for Worcestershire before going on to become first-team coach and academy director respectively, with Brett becoming the first club captain to be born in Worcester.

"Brett speaks very clearly to the group, communicates very well and alongside that, he is a really inspirational leader, the sort of captain that any player would want to play for," said head coach Alex Gidman.

"He is in a really good place with his personal cricket, and we are excited to watch the captaincy work alongside that."