Batsman Daniel Bell-Drummond explains how he found out he was to become Kent’s new captain

Daniel Bell-Drummond has told how he found out he was to become Kent’s new club captain.

Batsman Bell-Drummond, 30, has been appointed to replace wicketkeeper Sam Billings, who resigned from the role at the end of the 2023 season but will still be Spitfires’ T20 Blast skipper.

The chance to captain the side wasn’t necessarily something on Bell-Drummond’s radar
after a red-hot season with the bat, but was one he was more than happy to take.

He said: “It happened at the end of the season, really.

“We had appraisals and Sam Billings was stepping down, and the club wanted to go in a new direction. They wanted the senior players to stand up - and I was more than willing to put my name in the hat.

“I got a call from Simon (Cook, Kent’s director of cricket) shortly after that, saying he
wants me to be the club captain and the [County] Championship captain. It happened quite quickly.

“It wasn’t necessarily on the radar but I’m very proud.”

Bell-Drummond has skippered Kent sides on 42 occasions to date and played a huge
role in the early stages of their 2021 T20 Blast trophy-winning campaign.

The Academy graduate stated: “I definitely want a positive brand of cricket.

“I like to empower the players to try and help us perform, and make the players feel wanted and valued in the dressing room. That’s a massively key thing for me.

“I’ve been under previous captains before who have done a lot of that. I will take a lot from them - obviously, Billings, Rob Key and [Sam] Northeast a little bit before that.

“I definitely have my own style of doing things. I have captained Kent before and have done quite well doing it.

“It will be a fresh start, there’s a lot of new faces, and a very good vibe at the minute in the dressing room.

“Hopefull