Croft targets season of development in red-ball arena for young Glamorgan

LISTEN: Head coach Robert Croft was encouraged by his players' displays in their pre-season trip to the Middle East and he is excited about the start of the new County Championship campaign

^{Glamorgan head coach Robert Croft and his team at the club's photocall day}

Robert Croft says the next phase of Glamorgan’s first-class project is expected to take “two to six years”.

Croft is readying his side for their first County Championship outing of the season this week - they are due to make the short trip to Bristol to face Gloucestershire from Friday - and he’s excited by the “youthful exuberance” around the SWALEC Stadium dressing room.

A core of senior pros - captain Michael Hogan, batsman Colin Ingram and overseas signing Shaun Marsh - will be complemented by several rising stars who have come through the ranks in Cardiff.

And Croft, while eager to see his team remain competitive, is after signs of improvement and increasing maturity from the county over the course of the campaign.

^{Glamorgan open the season against Gloucestershire}

“It’s the first time for a period that we’ve had the opportunity to prepare short, medium and long, in particular with red-ball cricket,” he told The Cricketer.

“Through people moving on and finishing the game, behind that all along was young players getting exposure. We’re now entering the start of the next phase of what we want to build.

“That could take anything from two to six years but there is a strategy behind it and it’s about seeing opportunity and improvement.

“Sometimes it’s like spinning plates. It takes a while to get those plates spinning, however with enough hard work and enough investment, time, skill and knowledge, those players will get a little freer towards the end and won’t need much work.

“That’s the sort of analogy we’re looking at.”