Worcestershire Head Coach Alan Richardson has paid tribute to the “immense” leadership skills of Club Captain Brett D’Oliveira.
Richardson says D’Oliveira had a massive impact in ensuring the 2024 pre-season goal of a Vitality County Championship Division One top six spot was achieved.
He believes that it would have been “incredibly difficult” without D’Oliveira at the helm in what was his third season as Club Captain since taking over from Joe Leach.
D’Oliveira defied a shoulder problem throughout the season and made a telling impact with four successive half centuries when he returned to the side for the Championship finale in late August-September.
Richardson said: “I think the way Dolly leads the players is immense. He is really positive and he has got some real positive people in and around him and I think that was really important for us, continually looking in that upward direction rather than just survival.
“If you do that, you can get yourself into quite a negative mindset and we certainly didn’t want that.
“Dolly talked about a huge amount about enjoying the moment as much as possible and, if you are trying to play positive cricket, and always trying to look at it in a way of looking forward rather than looking at what’s behind you, I think that helps.
“Brett does that amazingly well and he certainly shifts the players mindsets.
“He should take a huge amount of credit for the amount of work he has put it and the way he creates the environment on and off the field.”
Richardson added: “I think it is a huge statement, but I think it would have been incredibly difficult to do what we’ve achieved without Dolly being captain.
“I don’t there are many people, if any in the squad that would have played through what he has, put himself through. That is the sign of a great leader.
“He speaks well in the group but his actions are so powerful and so loud. It is almost screaming at you what he is prepared to do.
“When the lads see a leader who is prepared to do what he does, I think that goes a long way for the impact and the influence he has on them.”
