Why Leicestershire can rediscover winning habit

Leicestershire, the team that forgot how to win, can push for promotion this season

Sounds crazy, doesn't it?

Promotion is for counties that have strong squads, big grounds and the money to compete.

Leicestershire? No chance. They haven't won a championship match for two years. Their latest accounts show a loss of £225,000. And things are so bad that four of their best young players walked out at the end of last season.

They're heading for the wooden spoon again.

Or are they?

Wasim Khan doesn't think so.

Within a week of arriving at Grace Road in January, the new chief executive spoke about challenging for promotion. This season.

At first glance, it sounds like PR puff. But look a little closer and maybe, just maybe, we should take him seriously.

History suggests it's not so daft.

In 1991, Leicestershire finished 16th in a 17-team county championship. David Gower had jumped ship and England all-rounder Chris Lewis defected to Surrey.

Their future looked bleak. And anyone suggesting they'd be champions in five years would have been mocked.

But they turned it around, and in 1996 they won the title.

Let's look at how they did it, and how their transformation can inspire Leicestershire to challenge for promotion now.

When James Whitaker inherited the captaincy in 1996, he took over a team that had finished 2nd in 1994 and 7th in 1995. They were challengers who needed a push to become champions. And Whitaker, with his tactical nous and motivational skills, was the man to do it.

Sign of hope for 2015: New head coach Andrew McDonald can be Whitaker's modern equivalent.

"He has lots of energy, knows the club and has a fantastic cricket brain," Wasim told The Observer.

McDonald is unproven. But so was Whitaker, and so was Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie, to whom McDonald has been likened. They got the most out of their teams. And if McDonald lives up to his billing, he'll squeeze the most out of Leicestershire and make them competitive.

Remember the Leicestershire huddle? All the players gathered in a circle at the fall of a wicket, arms around shoulders. It became the defining image of the championship-winning team - a team bonded by an intense desire to upset the odds.

They didn't have a host of England players. But they had faith in their ability. They were united. And they believed they could win.

Sign of hope for 2015: After Leicestershire's torrid 2014, Wasim has set about erasing the culture of negativity. No more moping, no more moaning, no more accepting defeat.

While we may not see the huddle return this season, Leicestershire will be stronger if they summon the 1996 side's spirit and belief.

In Phil Simmons' three seasons at Leicestershire - 1994, 1996 and 1998 - the county were runners-up once and champions twice. When he was absent in 1995 and 1997, they finished 7th and 10th.

His contribution to the club, on and off the field, was immense.

Yet when he arrived he was 31 and had a modest record from 19 Tests after six years on the fringes of the West Indies team. Brian Lara was the big-name West Indian in county cricket. But Simmons proved you don't need to be a superstar to be a super overseas player.

Sign of hope for 2015: Much will depend on Clint McKay. Like Simmons, he's not a star. He's 32 and has one Test for Australia to his name.

But he has the ability and experience to take more than the 42 wickets Nathan Buck managed last season before joining Lancashire.

McKay is available from the second game, and will be hungry to prove he's not on the wane after being dropped from his state team in the winter.

With him firing, Leicestershire can turn defeats and draws into wins.

David Millns and Alan Mullally developed into a potent strike-bowling partnership in the 1990s. To win often you need to consistently bowl sides out. And in 1996 Millns and Mullally snared 114 wickets at an average of 21.26.

Sign of hope for 2015: McKay will lead the attack. But in Ollie Freckingham and Atif Sheikh, Leicestershire have two quicks who, like Millns and Mullally, can become matchwinners. Sheikh bagged a hat-trick in only his second game and Freckingham led the attack in 2013, claiming 36 wickets, before missing most of 2014 through injury.

Add Charlie Shreck and Rob Taylor and the seam-bowling looks deeper and more threatening than it has for years.

Small counties like Leicestershire rely on polishing other counties' cast-offs.

Take Aftab Habib and Vince Wells. Unwanted by Middlesex and Kent, they found a home at Grace Road and became key men in the 1996 team.

Sign of hope for 2015: Former England Under-19 batsman Dan Redfern, who made his Derbyshire debut at 16, showed glimpses of his talent last season after recovering from a broken finger.

Fellow batsman Neil Pinner, from Worcestershire, and all-rounder Ben Raine, from Durham, could also step up after starring for the treble-winning Second XI.

If Leicestershire's recycled players scrub up, they will provide a huge boost to the team's chances this season.

In 1996, four Leicestershire batsmen passed 1,000 runs - Whitaker, Simmons, Wells and Ben Smith - two more than had done so the previous season, when they were 7th. That weight of runs heaps pressure on opponents.

Sign of hope for 2015: Angus Robson, Ned Eckersley and new captain Mark Cosgrove have all previously reached the 1,000-run milestone. And Niall O'Brien fell 29 short last season. They can do it again - and if they do, Leicestershire won't be pushovers.

What does it take to win promotion?

Normally, promoted teams average over 30 with the bat and under 30 with the ball. For example, last season Hampshire averaged 36 and 28 and Worcestershire averaged 31 and 26.

Leicestershire, meanwhile, averaged 26 and 43.

Looking at those figures, it's hard to believe they can challenge this season. But recent history shows it can be done.

In 2012, Northamptonshire won only two matches and finished eighth. The following season? They finished second.

Leicestershire have more potential than the last two years suggest.

Let's not forget that Jigar Naik had a terrible 2014 after returning from shoulder surgery. At his best, he's a wicket-taking spinner and a handy lower-order batsman.

They may have forgotten how to win. But it won't be long before they remember. And when they do they'll spring some surprises.

Watch out.