Leus du Plooy takes over as Middlesex captain mid-season as the club continues to undergo mid-season upheval.
Leus du Plooy takes over as Middlesex captain for Championship and Blast.
In keeping with the club’s mid-season turmoil, which has also seen the loss of head coach Richard Johnson and batting consultant Mark Ramprakash, Middlesex has selected Leus du Plooy as its captain for the County Championship and T20 Blast competitions.
Prior to the 2024 season, 30-year-old Du Plooy moved from Derbyshire to Middlesex, where he has since amassed 1,601 runs in 36 games in both forms.
Stevie Eskinazi resigned as T20 captain for personal reasons, and he will take over as captain for the first time on Wednesday against Hampshire at Merchant Taylors’ School.
Middlesex is now second-from-bottom in Division Two and far from their preseason aspirations of a quick return to the top division. Du Plooy will also succeed Toby Roland-Jones as the team’s red-ball captain. Roland-Jones has resigned from the position by mutual consent, despite his own respectable form, which includes 28 wickets at 27.92 and a best of 5 for 33.
“I am extremely proud to have been asked to captain Middlesex in both formats and am very much looking forward to a strong finish to this season and to working with the leadership group ahead of 2026,” Du Plooy said in a statement on the club website.
“I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of the Middlesex playing squad since the start of last season and have high hopes for what this talented group of players can achieve.”
Given the club’s well-known financial problems, Middlesex’s director of cricket, Alan Coleman, praised Eskinazi and Roland-Jones for their efforts in steering the team through a challenging time that has included strict limitations.
He also welcomed du Plooy as captain, stating that he has been a “terrific influence on the young members in our squad,” a natural leader, and a major voice in the senior playing group.
“Appointing Leus as captain allows us to build for the long-term, as we look to develop this group of players and continue to build a successful and winning team in all formats.”