Premier Cricket 2024-25: Ejaaz Alavi steps down as Fitzroy Doncaster captain

Fitzroy Doncaster will soon instil a new leader following decorated skipper Ejaaz Alavi’s call to end his seven-year stay as captain of the Victorian Premier Cricket outfit.

Ejaaz Alavi has stepped down as captain of Fitzroy Doncaster. Picture : George Sal

It’s the end of an era at Schramms Reserve.

Fitzroy Doncaster will soon instil a new leader following decorated skipper Ejaaz Alavi’s call to end his seven-year stay as captain of the Premier Cricket outfit.

Alavi – who first kitted up for the Lions’ top grade as a 15-year-old – stepped into the big shoes of the great Peter Dickson on the tail end of one of the club’s most successful eras.

Fitzroy Doncaster coach Matt Bremner said 200-game champion Alavi “felt like the time was right for a new captain to take the reins and a fresh voice for the group.”

A long-time teammate of Alavi’s, Bremner paid tribute to the “little master” he watched grow from a boy to a man, to lead the Lions through a period of mass change.

“I’m incredibly proud,” Bremner said.

“He took on the role in 2018-19 after ‘Dicko’ stepped down, and to be honest, it’s been a really big transition period for the club.

“We’ve come off two First XI premierships and a white ball premiership and lost a lot of experienced players in that time.

“In the seven years, Ejaaz has got us to three finals campaigns and two prelim finals with a pretty inexperienced list.”

Master and apprentice: then Lions captain Peter Dickson with a young Ejaaz Alavi. Picture: Lawrence Pinder

Bremner said Alavi commanded respect from teammates and rivals alike as a captain.

“He’s probably led differently to most captains in the competition – he’s quite unassuming, pretty quiet, but he’s got massive integrity, he’s really composed and he’s loved universally by players, coaches and the competition,” he said.

“I don’t think anyone has a bad word to say about Ejaaz.”

Alavi is currently overseas playing cricket for UK club Wallasey, and Bremner believes the 29-year-old would benefit from the freedom of stepping back from the Lions’ captaincy.

“He’s really enjoying just playing at the moment and not having the pressure to lead a team,” Bremner said.

“It’s not to say he hasn’t been enjoying his cricket (as captain), he’s been loving it, but it just takes a weight off his shoulders.”

The Lions are expected to announce a new captain in the coming weeks.

“We’ll put out a few expressions of interest and we’ll sit down with a few of those players who are keen to step into the role and go through a process to see who’s the man for the job,” Bremner said.