“I want us to be fearless” - Miles Hammond on taking over as T20 Captain
16 June 2023
Almost a decade after starting out his career at Gloucestershire, Miles Hammond will walk out as Captain of the Club’s T20 side on Saturday evening when Shire face Kent Spitfires at the Seat Unique Stadium.
The 27-year-old top-order batter was announced as the Club’s new T20 captain yesterday (Thursday 15th June) following the decision by Jack Taylor to step down as Captain after four seasons in the role.
Having risen through the ranks at Gloucestershire, Hammond says he’s excited by the opportunity to step up and lead from the front.
Here’s what Gloucestershire’s new T20 Captain had to say about his new role:
Q: Nine years after starting your career at Gloucestershire here you are as the Club’s T20 Captain, how does that feel?
MH: “It’s been an interesting journey, I started out as an off-spinner who batted at nine to being an opening batter in T20 so yeah, it’s been a good ride so far.
“I definitely feel as though I’ve contributed a lot as a senior player over the last couple of years and I do feel as though I’ve grown into more of a leader within the group. I didn’t see this (the captaincy) coming at the start of the year if I’m honest but I’m really happy to take it on and I think I’ve got a lot to give to the role and a lot of skills that I think will help the team.”
Q: Jack Taylor did a fantastic job as Captain for four seasons and leaves the squad in good shape for you to inherit; how would you sum up Jack’s time as Captain and how that helps you moving forward?
MH: “Jack’s been brilliant, he’s done such a good job over the last few years and he’s been a pleasure to play under. If I’m honest they are big shoes to fill, I can’t shy away from that and I just need to carry that on, do things my way and have confidence in myself that I’ll also be able to do a good job.”
Q: Does taking on the captaincy feel like natural progression for you in your career and ultimately a moment to be proud of?
MH: “I am proud to be captaining the county I’ve always been at, that’s an awesome feeling, and I’m looking forward to being able to put my own stamp on the way we do things. I’m massively looking forward to it and am just happy to be in this position.”
Q: It may be early days but have you had an initial thoughts or ideas for how you’d like to put your own stamp on the side?
MH: “There’s not a massive amount I’m going to change straight away, I’m quite a laid back person and that will hopefully transfer to the lads and allow them to play with a bit more freedom.
“I think Benki (Dale Benkenstein) and Will (Porterfield) are doing a great job and I’m looking forward to working with them a bit more closely and talking about where the team is going, tactics and our overalls goals in T20 cricket.
Q: Looking ahead to the rest of the Vitality Blast tournament, we’ve got five games in seven days starting with Kent Spitfires at home on Saturday night, what are your thoughts on what Gloucestershire need to do in the second half of the competition?
MH: “We’ve got a lot of games coming up and we just need to try our best to be brave with the bat and ball, play the cricket we want to play and trust the process in what we want to achieve. Positivity is really important, especially with the bat, we haven’t got an over-par score yet so far in the competition and it’s a case of trying to give our bowlers a bit more to play with.
“We need to have trust in our own ability to try to go out there and be fearless, especially for the young lads, and that’s where I see it’s my job to try to facilitate that and take the pressure of players where I can. If I can help bring through some of the younger players playing that way and thinking that way then further down the line it’ll be like second nature for everyone.
“We’re always going to want to win every match but the way we’re going to do that is by going out there and being fearless and also accepting that we might fail sometimes and being ok with that.”
Q: You’ve shown in your own batting that you are fearless at the top of the order, how exciting are you by this opportunity to lead from the front?
MH: “For me it’s about being able to instil confidence in everyone to go out there and perform as well as they can; we’ve got a young squad and we’re all learning every game.
“It’s a really exciting time for us as a Club, we may have lost a few senior players recently but we’ve had guys come through the ranks and put in really important performances over the last few months. There’s a lot of positivity in terms of room for growth and we’ve already seen that playing out in front of us, and for me that’s the really exciting thing.”
