Buchanan to take reins

Commonwealth Bank Bushrangers rookie Meyrick Buchanan is poised to become one of the youngest captains in the 106-year history of Premier Cricket tomorrow when he takes the reins of Geelong.  

Buchanan and Tom Elliott have been named joint vice-captains of the Cats with star batsman Aaron Finch again chosen as skipper.

But with Finch expected to miss most of the summer because of Victorian commitments, including tomorrow’s season opener, the Cats have decided to give both Buchanan and Elliott the opportunity to develop their leadership skills.

Elliott, the Cats’ 2010-11 club champion, will lead the side in two-day matches while Buchanan, who turned 19 last month, has the responsibility of captaining the team in their one-day and Twenty20 matches.

Geelong plays four one-day games to open the summer, starting with a road trip against Ringwood.

Their first home game at Kardinia Park is against Fitzroy Doncaster on October 13.

The Bushrangers rookie and Melbourne Renegade has a range of experience captaining sides at underage level, including the Victorian under-19 team last summer.

Geelong coach Damian Shanahan said the club believed the time was right to elevate him into a leadership role.

”I see Meyrick as being a future leader at the next level up as well,” Shanahan declared.

”Knowing him really well and knowing what makes him tick, I think it’s a great time for him to step up into the role and get some experience leading the men.

”He’s got the full backing of the whole club and his peers and he is a prodigious talent, which we’ll hopefully see with his captaincy skills.

”Some people might see it might see it as a bit of gamble, but I see it as a real positive for us moving forward.

”I want to get Meyrick as much experience as he possibly can to go on and play first class cricket for the next 10-15 years – go on the same pathway that Aaron (Finch) has and get everything out of himself in his cricket.

”Obviously with Tom Elliott coming in as captain of the two-day format, Tom is a really experienced cricketer now and it probably releases the pressure on Meyrick a bit to concentrate on making some big scores.

”So we think it’s a nice little blend and there’s a nice mix of experience and youngsters that have stepped up in the pre-season in our leadership group.”

Rounding out the new-look Cats leadership group is experienced paceman Marc Carson, Luke Muller, Hayden Butterworth, Jake Thorne and Adam Di Giacomo.

The Cats’ squad has undergone some big changes over the winter.

Liam Buchanan, Justin Foss and Matthew Harrison have all left to play local cricket, wicketkeeper Alex Stanley moving to Camberwell and highly-rated leg-spinner Jeremy Hart shifting across the border to South Australia in a bid to play first-class cricket.

The Cats have secured two highly-rated wicketkeeper-batsmen in James Crosthwaite (Camberwell Magpies) and Josh McDonald (Richmond).

McDonald, originally from Shepparton, was a teammate of Buchanan’s in the Victorian under-19 team last summer.

Crosthwaite, 25, is the younger brother of former Victorian and current South Australian wicketkeeper Adam.

He’s played at 2^nd XI level with both the ACT and New South Wales and is due to arrive in Geelong this weekend after a stint playing league cricket in England over the winter.

Shanahan said both McDonald and Crosthwaite have plenty to offer.

”Both are super impressive young players and have got an abundance of ability,” Shanahan said.

”They were looking for opportunities at Geelong and I’ve got no doubt they’ll both excel in our environment.”