'It's good to be back' - Vince on Hampshire return
Hampshire batter James Vince said that it is "good to be back" as he prepares to lead the Hawks into this summer's T20 Blast. The county's T20 captain announced earlier this year that he would not play red-ball cricket in 2025. He and his family moved to Dubai after attacks on his family home last summer when intruders damaged windows and vehicles in the early hours of multiple mornings."This time last year there was a lot of uncertainty for us as a family," Vince told BBC South Today. "We left here in October not quite knowing what we were going to do, and after a look around we found the kids a school and they are happy, so far so good."It's pretty hot over there at the minute but it's nice to be able to come back over here, catch-up with friends, and be able to play for Hampshire."I don't have the stresses and worries that we had last year. I'm not quite sure what the future will hold but so far the family are good."
For the first time in well over a decade Vince will not be a part of Hampshire's County Championship campaign - the competition in which the 34-year-old has been the team's leading run-scorer for the past four seasons.Since his debut in 2009, Vince has scored nearly 12,500 first-class runs for Hampshire at an average of over 41.He has played 13 Tests, 25 one-day internationals, and 17 T20 internationals, but last appeared for England in March 2023.He returns on Friday for the Hawks' opening T20 game against Essex at the Utilita Bowl, and has said that he will also play in The Hundred. "It was a little bit strange watching the guys start the season without me," Vince added."But now it's been good to be back and I'm really excited for the next couple of months where we can hopefully have some fun and play some good cricket on the way."Thankfully, my family and I are happy with the new life over there [in Dubai] and it's nice to be back now for a few months." Hampshire are the joint-most successful men's domestic side in T20 history, having won the competition three times.Vince will be hoping to help push the side to this season's finals day, after missing out last year. "It was a little bit disappointing last year to not make finals day," he said."But the goal is to always finish the group stage and still be in the hat. We've had some pretty amazing days over the years and this year we want to be in the mix for finals day."It would be good to get off to a good start, hopefully we can get a good crowd in and entertain them, winning for those guys is the priority."
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