County Championship preview: Leicestershire

2011 in a nutshell Finished a whopping 61 points adrift of second-bottom Kent in the Championship after winning just one game all season. But winning the t20 cup for the third time was a huge achievement How they finished County Championship, comprehensively bottom of Division Two CB40 sixth in Group B Friends Life t20 Winners What they'll be playing in this season LV County Championship Division Two, CB40 Group A, Friends Life t20 North Group Captain Matthew Hoggard Coach/head of cricket Phil Whitticase Ins Robbie Joseph (Kent) Outs Harry Gurney (Nottinghamshire), James Taylor (Nottinghamshire), Paul Nixon (retired), Tom New (released) Overseas players Ramnaresh Sarwan (WI), Abdul Razzaq (Pak) – t20 Key player Abdul Razzaq will be crucial to their chances of defending the t20 trophy but losing Gurney, Taylor and Nixon does not bode well for Championship improvement. Hoggard and Will Jefferson will need to step up while Ned Eckersley may be one to watch How will they get on this season? Could be another summer to test Hoggard's sense of humour. Losing Taylor is a huge blow to their batting lineup, Gurney's absence will weaken the bowling, and the retirement of Nixon makes it hard to see any chance they will be able to repeat last season's Twenty20 success. Trying to be positive, Nathan Buck is still around to take wickets, as well as Hoggard himself (now 35), and Sarwan is an intriguing signing who could go either way