Jon Lewis has decided to stand down as skipper of Gloucestershire after just three seasons in charge.   Lewis (33) claims he wants to concentrate on his own game and in interviews with the BBC and The Bristol Evening Post admitted he found the captaincy a difficult and demanding job.

It’s fair to say that he often presided over teams weakened by injuries, especially during last season, but there is little doubt that his own game suffered with the increasing responsibilities, and he appeared to lack leadership qualities when under pressure.

Some of his tactics in the field were often baffling, to friends and foes alike, particularly when it came to bowling changes. If there was inappropriate moment to remove a bowler from the attack, he seemed to seize it with relish.  Steve Kirby will clearly benefit from a change of leader and it’s to be hoped Lewis himself will also do so.

Gloucestershire have not announced a successor and may leave this to much nearer the start of the new season, possibly even waiting for John Bracewell to arrive and give his input in person. In most circumstances you would want the current vice-captain to step into the role, but unfortunately Gidman did not perform particularly well when called upon to captain the side in 2008. Like Lewis, he often gave the impression of running out of ideas when in the field, and his head went down far too often.

Taylor was not a bad captain a few years ago, but lost his own form and was probably too quiet as a leader on the field. I would like to see Marshall be given the opportunity to captain the county. He appears to have some charisma and is capable of leading by example. He is certainly quite familiar with the county scene after a few seasons of playing here.

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