NEW Somerset captain Tom Abell will be batting at number three this season after Director of Cricket Matt Maynard confirmed that overseas signing Dean Elgar will share the opening duties with his fellow left hander Marcus Trescothick, writes Richard Walsh.

Explaining the decision, Maynard said: “This will allow our new skipper to have a little bit more time when he comes off the pitch to get his batting head on."

Elgar is likely to miss the period that coincides with South Africa's Test series against England, though a large part of this is made up by the T20 Blast.

The club are still on the lookout for an overseas player to fill in for that competition, but the 50-year-old played his cards close to his chest with regard to the identity of such a signing.

"We will look to see nearer the time who we will get as cover for that period - if indeed we need someone," Maynard said.

“We have got some ideas but at the moment I think we just wait and see.

"I’d really like a player for the whole of the competition, and we have got Dean Elgar for the second part of the season, so ideally we want someone who can come in and play that kind of Andre Russell sort of role.

“I am pretty happy with our bowling attack and they are getting better every year as they play more, but it’s our batting that has let us down over the last couple of years.”

Maynard added: “Our fielding in the T20 has not been as good as in the championship and Royal London either so there is plenty to work on.”

With Elgar and Trescothick opening and Abell at three in the four-day format, the rest of the top order is looking likely to be made up of James Hildreth, Steve Davies and Pete Trego.

They will be followed by a pick from the all-rounders Jim Allenby, Roelof van der Merwe, Craig Overton and Lewis Gregory, plus bowlers Jamie Overton, Tim Groenewald and Jack Leach.

This line up, however, doesn’t include Johann Myburgh, who topped the batting averages last year before injury, Dom Bess, who grabbed his chance with both hands in 2016 nor George Bartlett, who has done so well for the England Under 19s in India.

All of this means there are some hard choices to be made by the Somerset selectors before the serious business starts on April 14th.

The full Somerset squad fly out to Desert Springs in south east Spain for a training camp on March 6th returning on March 16th ahead of the first pre-season game three days later.