Whitney and Wagg in Shropshire job share

Whitney, the Bridgnorth skipper, has been appointed captain of Shropshire’s championship side in the National Counties Cricket Association, with Wagg to be the county’s vice-captain in three-day cricket.

The roles will be reversed in the one-day format, with former Glamorgan all-rounder Wagg – supported by Whitney as his vice-captain – leading Shropshire in both the NCCA Twenty20 competition and NCCA Trophy.

Shropshire’s director of cricket John Abrahams said: “We feel that Graham, with his experience of playing at county level, is well suited to be captain in white-ball cricket, the T20 and 50-over matches, as the game changes so quickly and the captain needs to react fairly quickly. The players will benefit from Graham’s decision making.

“Sam has been appointed vice-captain for white-ball cricket and captain for the red-ball game.

“He’s our most experienced spin bowler and also has captaincy experience. He is very respectful of all the players and well respected by them.

“Sam has a fair amount of experience of playing for Shropshire now and, having seen him over the last 15 months, he is a role model for players, both on and off the field, which will stand him in good stead.

“He will be in a position to learn directly from Graham during the white-ball matches before putting it into practice in the three-day games.”

Whitney, 31, made his Championship debut for Shropshire against Devon in 2017 and has since regularly represented the county in all formats.

A right-arm leg spinner capable of weighing in with useful runs down the order, Whitney, who is a popular member of the county squad, insists being appointed captain of Shropshire’s three-day side is “a massive honour.”

Whitney said: “When John Abrahams rang me, it was a little bit of a shock. I captained Shropshire last season when we had a few friendlies, so I knew I was in the running, but I still didn’t expect it.

“It’s a massive honour. I’ve been a part of Shropshire cricket for a few years now and I’m really excited to get going.

“It’s exciting to be working with guys that have been at the top of the game for quite a long time in John, Jason Weaver and now Graham Wagg.

“Graham is obviously a top professional with bat and ball. We’ve got quite a young squad, so it’s really good to have his experience coming in. I’m looking forward to watching him play and learning from him.”

Whitney has captained Bridgnorth for the last five years and is the younger brother of Jono Whitney, who enjoyed many years playing for Shropshire before moving to Australia.

“Jono had a great Shropshire career and any advice I can get off him will be brilliant,” he added.

Wagg, 37, has just joined Shropshire following a successful career in the first-class game.

The left-arm seam bowler and hard-hitting middle order batsman has spent the last 10 seasons with Glamorgan, including a testimonial in 2019.

Wagg started his career with Warwickshire, representing England A after previously playing for the under-19s, and then spent five years with Derbyshire, before joining Glamorgan at the start of the 2011 season.

He’s looking forward to playing for Shropshire and is happy to have been asked to skipper the county in both one-day competitions and to be vice-captain in the Championship.

Wagg said: “I’m pleased to have that extra responsibility. I’ve always been up for a challenge and I’ve captained at various levels, through club cricket, junior level, all the way up to first-class cricket, when I’ve stepped in on a few occasions.

“It’s something I’ve done before and enjoy. I’m really looking forward to doing it again, leading a new team, and I can’t wait to get stuck in really.”