Kiran Carlson: Can Glamorgan club captain ‘prove doubters wrong’ in Division One?

At the end of the 2021 season, Carlson capped off a resurgent year by leading Glamorgan to One-Day Cup victory, a first trophy for the club since 2004.

In 2026 – with Sam Northeast having rejoined Kent – he will be hoping to draw on those experiences as he takes the reins in first class matches for the club’s long-awaited return to division one of the County Championship

“We played some really good cricket last year, and our team is full of match winners,” said Carlson.

“We have a solid squad with some great players and human beings in there. It’s always a challenge being the underdog but it’s something I think we can use in our favour, there will be times when we will need to scrap but that’s fine.”

Staying in Division One as a newly promoted side is a tough task for any team, let alone one led by a new club captain.

However, Wallace believes Carlson and his team-mates will relish the challenge.

“We’ve got a new-ish captain in Kieran. It was quite obvious early on that he’s a bright lad,” said Glamorgan’s director of cricket.

“He understands the game. He’s he’s very much a people person, somebody who wants to build relationships. I think he’s certainly got the tactical nous and the tactical acumen to lead us well.

“We will have to prove a few doubters wrong. We’re not underestimating the challenge that we’ll have in front of us having not played Division One cricket for so long.”

With all of the challenges the top flight will bring to the County’s shores this summer, Glamorgan believe they have the right man to navigate them to safety.

Carlson has shown throughout his career that he is not afraid of resetting after faliure and asking questions of himself.

But what answers the Welshman comes up with this season may just end up defining Glamorgan’s year.