The growing sense that Leicestershire are ready to end two summers without an LV= County Championship win will be put to the test at Grace Road this week.
The Foxes have gone through significant change recently as new chief executive Wasim Khan looks to turn around their flagging fortunes.
His decision to employ an Australia captain-coach combination of Mark Cosgrove and Andrew McDonald - who played alongside each other for South Australia this winter - has raised spirits even though the Foxes endured a number of exits out of the club at the end of last season.
Already Cosgrove has shown his bludgeoning abilities with the bat, hitting a quick 92 against Cambridge MCCU earlier this week, and has promised to be an attacking skipper.
The 30-year-old will come up against his former club Glamorgan in the opening round.
Glamorgan have only won once at Grace Road in 19 matches since 1986 and Cosgrove scored a century in that win, one of two he made for Glamorgan against Leicestershire.
Both counties are without an Australian seamer with Clint McKay yet to arrive for Leicestershire while Michael Hogan is sidelined by a hamstring injury after helping Western Australia into last month’s Sheffield Shield final.
Glamorgan responded bysigning Andy Carter on loan from Nottinghamshire last week and he could be one of four debutants with the South Africa batsman Colin Ingram, Craig Meschede who has joined from Somerset, and James Kettleborough from Northants.
Gloucestershire are set to field three wicketkeepers in their opener against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.
Young prospect Gareth Roderick has been given the nod to take the gloves with new captain Geraint Jones having already confirmed he would lead the side as a specialist batsman.
Australian recruit Peter Handscomb, who holds a British passport, is also a keeper, although he found himself playing second fiddle to Matthew Wade when Victoria won the Shield final.
The 23-year-old is nonetheless a good batsmen and scored a century during the Big Bash League this winter.
Northants, who were relegated last year, have one new South African signing in experienced seamerRory Kleinveldt while opener Richard Levi returns.
Josh Cobb, who has joined them from Leicestershire, is also included in their squad. Northants have won six of their last 10 Championship games against Gloucestershire, with only one draw.
LV= County Championship facts
*Leicestershire have hosted Glamorgan 19 times in the Championship since 1986 and lost once (won six, drawn 12).
*Charlie Shreck (3,360) bowled the most balls in the 2014 Championship.
*Of players to score at least 200 runs in the 2014 Championship, Azharullah scored the highest percentage in boundaries (74.5%).
*Steven Crook hit 13.9% of the balls he faced in the 2014 Championship for a boundary, the highest percentage of those facing at least 200 balls.