David Lloyd appointed Glamorgan captain

The 29-year-old Welshman will lead the side in the County Championship and T20 Blast, with Kiran Carlson continuing to captain the Royal London Cup side

Glamorgan have appointed David Lloyd as their club captain following Chris Cooke’s decision to step down after three years at the helm.

The 29-year-old Welshman will lead the side in the County Championship and T20 Blast with Kiran Carlson serving as his vice-captain. Carlson will also continue to skipper Glamorgan in the Royal London Cup side after leading his side to the title last season.

Since making his debut for the club in 2012, Lloyd has made 196 appearances across all formats, scoring 6,116 runs and taking 105 wickets.

He was appointed vice-captain in 2019 and led the side in the County Championship later that season when Cooke was absent through injury. In doing so, he became the first Welshman to captain the county since Mark Wallace in 2014 and the first player born in North Wales to receive the honour since Wilf Wooller in 1947.

Commenting on being named captain, Lloyd said: "I’m extremely honoured to be given the opportunity to captain Glamorgan. It obviously means a lot to me growing up as a fan, then coming through the ranks for Wales and the Glamorgan academy.

^{Kiran Carlson (centre) will continue to lead the Royal London Cup side [Shaun Botterill/Getty Images]}

"I really enjoyed the experience of captaining in 2019 and I’ve learnt a lot from Chris Cooke which will hopefully put me in good stead for the challenges ahead.

"It was fantastic for the club to win the Royal London Cup last year and now the goal is to push to improve in the other formats and bring more silverware to Wales."

Mark Wallace, the club's director of cricket, backed Lloyd to succeed as skipper, commenting: "Chris has done a great job as captain over the past few years and has led the team with a lot of skill and dedication, but he has decided that now is the right time to step aside.

"David has been vice-captain for a few years and when he has had the chance to captain, he’s done an excellent job so he was the obvious choice to replace Chris.

"David’s hugely respected by everyone in the changing room and the way he stepped up to open the batting showed his leadership capabilities. He’s a very considered, measured player with an excellent cricket brain who we think will thrive with the captaincy.

"We also think he’ll work very well in partnership with Kiran Carlson, who steps up as vice-captain after he showed an aptitude and talent for leadership during the Royal London Cup victory."

Departing captain Cooke added: "It has been a great honour and privilege to captain Glamorgan, however I have decided, after much thought, to step down as club captain. This has not been an easy decision, but I feel that it is the right time, not only for myself, but also for the development of the squad.

^{Chris Cooke has stood down as captain [David Rogers/Getty Images]}

"Throughout my tenure I have tried to improve the culture and performances at the club and I will take a lot of pride from what we have accomplished. I hope that I have helped to set an exciting course for this group of players. I would like to thank the club for giving me the opportunity to lead the side and the players and coaches for all their support and efforts. I am also grateful to our members and fans. You are with us through the highs and lows, and without you there would be no Glamorgan.

"From a personal perspective, I still feel that I have much to contribute on and off the field, and I am determined as ever to help win more matches for Glamorgan.

"Finally, I would like to wish David Lloyd all the best in his new role. Lloydy is a close friend of mine, who helped me a lot during my time in charge, and I am certain he will do a brilliant job as club captain. He is hugely respected in the dressing room, and I hope everyone associated with Glamorgan will get behind him and give him the same support I received."

Cooke was appointed Glamorgan's red-ball captain ahead of the 2019 season and oversaw their best Championship campaign since 2015 with a fourth-place finish in Division Two. He took over the reins of the T20 side in 2020, replacing Colin Ingram.