Ten Doeschate, Bopara get leadership roles

Essex County Cricket Club have announced the appointments of Ryan ten Doeschate as new club captain and Ravi Bopara as limited-overs captain.

Ten Doeschate will move from his previous role as one-day skipper to become club captain and will lead the side in the County Championship.

He made his debut for the club 2003 and has proven a top-class batsman in all three formats of the game, as well as a more than useful bowler.

His loyalty to the club was further emphasised by his signing of a new deal last year until the end of the 2017 campaign and he will not be taking part in the IPL this year so will be available immediately.

A former pupil at Brampton Manor and Barking Abbey, Bopara began his career at Essex, first appearing in 2002, and is another long-serving player who has played over 150 times for England across all three forms of the game.

The former Hainault & Clayhall ace enjoyed a benefit year in 2015, including matches at Upminster and his old club, and boasts an excellent batting record, but his bowling is also a key part of his armoury and his prowess in the shorter matches makes him the ideal appointment for the limited-overs captaincy.

Bopara also signed a new two-year deal last year to continue his long association with the county and will enter the IPL auction.

But with the final of that competition due to be played on May 24, he would miss just one NatWest T20 Blast match if his IPL side progressed to that stage.

Essex head coach Chris Silverwood is excited about the prospect of both new captaincies and said: “Both Ryan and Ravi have proven themselves fantastically committed to the cause here at Essex over a number of years. They command instant respect in the dressing room, and have proven how much they care about the Club.

“Ryan will bring many things to the role. He is always a calm head on the field and has shown over the past two years as limited-overs captain how capable he is. He is a hugely experienced and professional individual. We are aiming not just for promotion, but to be competitive in Division One and Ryan is the man to lead us there.

“Ravi is at the stage of his career where he is looking to take on more responsibility and this is the perfect opportunity to give him that.

“He has played a lot of cricket around the world and will bring that experience into his new role. We have realistic aims to win a limited-overs competition this year, and Ravi is excited about the challenge.”