Matthew Maynard future uncertain as Glamorgan eye Marnus Labuschagne return

After missing out on promotion from Division Two, the Welsh county have grand plans for the new campaign

Glamorgan head into the winter with uncertainty surrounding the future of head coach Matthew Maynard as they begin plans to end a 15-year absence from the Specsavers County Championship top-flight.

The Welsh county finished a place outside the promotion positions after their final-round match at Durham was beset by rain and ultimately ended in a draw.

Following the match, Maynard revealed he was not committing himself to continue on in 2020.

“That’s the decision for (director of cricket) Mark Wallace and the club, I have not spoken to them yet,” he said.

Glamorgan are hopeful Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne might return next summer after he enjoyed a fruitful spell at Sophia Gardens, which helped him earn a place in Australia’s Ashes squad.

Labuschagne played 10 games, scoring 1114 runs which included five centuries and five fifties, and after leaving Glamorgan he played a central part as Australia retained the Ashes.

Club captain Chris Cooke admitted the club would look at the possibility of Labuschagne returning.

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Cooke was absent for half of the championship season through injury and, should Glamorgan find a way to entice Labuschagne back, their presence would be significant parts of the puzzle for the county.

“It would be great to see Marnie back, he was a big part of our batting order, but we have a big squad, and if we can keep everyone fit, no doubt we can do the same again,” said Cooke.

​The quality of the squad was underlined by a nine-game unbeaten start to the championship, only to then suffer heavy defeats in consecutive games against Middlesex, Lancashire and Worcestershire.

Nevertheless, with three games of the season remaining, Glamorgan had remained in contention for promotion.

Defeat at Worcester meant they had to win their last two games and gain maximum points to challenge Northants and Gloucestershire, who were in second and third place.

They obtained maximum points at home against Leicestershire, but any hopes of a return to Division One were scuppered as only 86.4 overs were bowled in four days at Durham.

“It was a disappointing way to end the season,” Cooke said.

“But we lost our chance in a couple of games before the win against Leicestershire. Nevertheless, we have a lot of positives to take into next year”.

^{Marnus Labuschagne scored 1114 before his Ashes call-up}

The ageless Michael Hogan, who will be 39 next year, was again the county’s most successful bowler despite missing three games, with 46 wickets at 21.17, although he lacked support from the other seamers, who either suffered injuries or were inconsistent.

The spinners rarely bowled long spells, but Samit Patel, on loan for four games from Nottinghamshire took 12 wickets and will be a valuable acquisition next year if he decides to change counties.

Glamorgan won only three games in the Royal London One-Day Cup competition, but the biggest disappointment for their supporters came in the Vitality Blast where they won only one game – their final match against Hampshire.

Too often their batsmen failed but their cause was not helped by the fact their original overseas players were not immediately available. Shaun Marsh broke his arm and played just four games, while his brother Mitch was selected in the Ashes squad.

The Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman was signed for seven games but made little impression averaging just 16 from six innings.

Courtesy of the ECB reporters network