Worcestershire's Joe Leach enjoying life without the captaincy

Leach says he has been reinvigorated after being freed of the captaincy responsibilities which have now been taken over by Brett D'Oliveira

Joe Leach says he is enjoying being one of the Worcestershire foot-soldiers again – and even fielding at fine leg – after relinquishing the club captaincy after six seasons.

Leach certainly led from the front as skipper with his performances with the ball and finished as leading wicket-taker on four occasions when captain.

A total of 372 first-class wickets at 26.44 is a testament to his impact and Leach is also a dangerous customer as a destructive batter although he admits that part of his game suffered after dropping himself down the order.

But Leach says he has been reinvigorated after being freed of the captaincy responsibilities which have now been taken over by Brett D'Oliveira.

He certainly made an impressive start to the campaign in the drawn game at Leicestershire at the Uptonsteel County Ground with four wickets in the first innings and a vital 70 to help retrieve a poor start.

"With the captaincy, I kind of knew my time was up and I'm sure, speaking to guys who've retired or when they've finished, they kind of know before that," he said.

"Certainly from a cricket point of view, I've been very pleased to still feel the same excitement.

"It is a new challenge, not being captain now and coming into my 30s, and all that goes with that, and trying to lead the attack, and all those kind of things.

"I've been pleased that I've not lost any enthusiasm at all, in fact if anything I probably feel a little bit reinvigorated which is great.

^{Leach stepped down as captain and has been replaced by Brett D'Oliveira (David Rogers/Getty Images)}

"I've really enjoyed going down to fine leg. That is quite a nice treat, not having to field in the firing line at mid-off!

"It just gives you more time to really focus in on what you are trying to do, what your job is, and everyone who does it (captaincy) for a period of time, does get a new lease of life.

It is exciting to be contributing as a player and setting yourself the challenges. It is a massive change. You lose a lot of the extra stuff I've had to do these past five or six years. It has freed up a lot of time and I'm really excited now to just focus on cricket, helping the guys as a senior player and being that experienced guy around the group, helping Brett."

Leach is conscious of being available to assist D'Oliveira should he require any input but also to let him stamp his own mark on the team.

"When I replaced Daryl (Mitchell) as captain, he was very good to me in giving me my space whilst also offering support and I've tried to do the same for Brett," he said.

"I've told Brett all along I'm here if he needs me, but it is very much his ship and he has to run it how he sees fit. He knows he's got my support as and when he needs it, or if he needs it, but it is important Brett puts his stamp on the team."

^{Leach is a useful lower-order batter as well (James Chance/Getty Images)}

Worcestershire return to action against Sussex at New Road following a 10-day break after just the one game against Leicestershire.

"It is a little bit disrupting and hard to use that rest in the way it is designed when it is so early in the season," Leach said. "But it has been a good refresher. We worked really hard in pre-season, quite a lengthy one, and we geared up to that Leicestershire game.

"It was good to have a few days over Easter to kind of get away, get into a different environment again, and we came back and trained and it has been very refreshed and the guys are raring to go.