England all-rounder David Willey has been named as Yorkshire’s new captain for the T20 Blast.
The 29-year-old – who missed out on a place in England’s World Cup-winning squad last summer – takes over from club captain Steven Patterson.
Patterson will remain as skipper for Yorkshire’s County Championship and 50-over campaigns this summer.
“To be a captain at any club, let alone the biggest in the country, is a great honour,” Willey told the club website.
“Hopefully this is the first step and we can have a successful year in 2020.”
Willey, who has been capped 74 times by England in limited overs cricket, joined Yorkshire from Northamptonshire in 2016.
He continued: “Over the past four or five years I’ve been in and out with Yorkshire due to England commitments, but having been left out of the World Cup my pathway for this summer has become very clear, which is really exciting.
“I’m very much looking forward to getting my teeth back in to county cricket and all formats. Part of that will be drawing on my experience in T20 cricket and wanting to lead the team as well as I possibly can.
“We’ve got a phenomenal record in red-ball cricket, but for a club of this size, to not have silverware in white-ball cricket is very disappointing.
“I’ve played T20 cricket all around the world, a World Cup, IPL, Big Bash, I’ve been in Finals Day four times myself, so hopefully I can draw on all of that experience and bring that to the table.
“We’ve got a brilliant group of players and my job will be to sit in the background and let the lads go about their business and we hope to go a long way.”
The left-arm seamer helped Northants win the T20 Blast trophy in 2013 when his hat-trick wrapped up a 102-run win over Surrey at Edgbaston.
Article courtesy of BBC Sport
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