Agathangelou shines on return to Old Trafford

Andrea Agathangelou produced an impressive innings for Leicestershire, reaching his first half-century for his new side as he top-scored with 54 on the first day against Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford.

Making his first appearance in Manchester since parting company with Lancashire over the winter, the Cypriot batsman came to the crease with his new side in trouble at 75/4, but Agathangelou utilised his knowledge of the ground he called home for five years to recover the innings and reach the 14th fifty of his first-class career.

Agathangelou made his Leicestershire debut in the club's first win since the 2012 season and the former Lancashire man admits that he was happy to be picked up by another county after being released by the current leaders of the second division.

He said: "I’m just really glad to have been given an opportunity really. I was playing quite a bit of club cricket and just trying to bang on the door and get back in. It has been a decent start, I would like to have kicked on a little bit more today, but they are a really good bunch of lads and I am just really happy to be where I am.

"It is always good to come back to Old Trafford. It felt a little bit strange when I went to a different changing room. Having spent five years here it was quite a change for me, but it is always good to come back," he added.

Leicestershire were bowled out for 207 on Day One against the current leaders of Division Two after choosing to bat first in overcast conditions and the former Lancashire man believes this score was insufficient even in testing conditions.

He said: "I think it was a combination of some decent balls and maybe some bad shots as well. You want to be positive and capitalise on anything. You don’t want any of the bowlers to settle and it is all about trying to be as positive as you can.

"It is a used wicket so I think it might spin a little bit later so I think we were happy to do what we did at the toss. But I think we are a little bit under par and I think we are going to have to bowl really well."

Agathangelou represented Lancashire in 47 first-class matches, making his debut against Somerset in August 2012, but since his introduction to first-team cricket, he struggled to secure a regular spot in the batting line-up.

After a long stint of playing club cricket, Agathangelou scored 163 not out for Leicestershire's second eleven against Afghanistan and since then he has featured in all of their first-team games after an impressive audition for the Midlands outfit. 

He said: "Looking back you always think maybe I could have changed this or maybe I could have done this differently. 

"But I feel as a good player you are supposed to be able to bat anywhere in the top six and adjust your role accordingly. There will be different make ups in sides with other players coming in, so you have got to be able to adapt, whether that be at the top of the order or where I am now at number five.

"You have just got to find out exactly what your role is for the game and execute it."

It was a significant day for Zimbabwean fast-bowler, Kyle Jarvis, who claimed his 50th wicket of the season after collecting three more wickets against Leicestershire and Agathangelou says that he always had the potential to be a destructive asset for the Red Rose.

He said: "He is not shy of any confidence and I think he knows what he is capable of doing, it was just a matter of him hitting his straps. People don’t realise that when a player comes from his background coming from Zimbabwe it is a different lifestyle and culture. He is coming into a different side and he was under a bit of pressure.

"But once that settles a little bit and he starts doing well, the confidence starts to build. I always knew he was a good bowler and I am happy for him that he is doing well."

Agathangelou is also a useful leg-spinner and the 25-year-old claimed a wicket with his first ball for Leicestershire against Surrey in their Championship defeat last week.

Commenting on the opportunity to bowl more and become a true all-round cricketer, he said: "That was quite nice! It was always going to be difficult at Lancashire because we had a couple of top-class spinners. You have got [Simon] Kerrigan, [Stephen] Parry and Arron Lilley who have all done incredibly well. 

"Even when we played 2’s games it was really difficult for me to get a bowl because we would have either one or two of them playing and they are obviously class bowlers.

"Sometimes I would go for half a season without having a bowl and because of the amount of cricket that we play, I don’t think people realise that we don’t even get a chance to train because you are either playing or you are travelling.

"It is difficult to get into a rhythm and execute your skills on a day-to-day basis because you really don’t get a chance to bowl."