With few changes in the squad, Glamorgan are hoping that maturing England Lions players Asa Tribe and Ben Kellaway will turn in figures to boost the team’s chances as well as their own.
For Carlson, the four-day captaincy comes as another step up after several seasons of limited-overs leadership and deputising for Northeast in the long format.
“It’ll be a different challenge and there’ll be times when it’ll be stressful, but I’m excited, there’ll be plenty of support in the changing room with Daws (coach Richard Dawson) and Wally (director of cricket Mark Wallace). I’ll try to captain authentically and put my own spin on things,” said Carlson.
“We’ve played most of the sides and had decent success against them but it’ll be about consistency in the relentlessness of the division.”
But has he got the right level of bowling resources at his disposal, especially after the late announcement of James Harris’s retirement?
“We know how to bowl here (in Cardiff) and it’s going to be a case of going away and assessing conditions,” he said.
“Timm van der Gugten will step up and do a job, Ryan (Hadley, new recruit from New South Wales) is really quick as an impact bowler, he could ruffle some feathers and have a massive impact.”
The major change in the batting line-up sees Sean Dickson, formerly with Somerset, Durham and Kent, come in after former captain Sam Northeast headed back to Canterbury.
Dickson has a first-class triple century to his credit but has been more prominent in white-ball cricket in recent years, hitting a whirlwind 71 not out off 26 balls for Somerset in the 2025 Blast quarter-final and seeing them home in the final – proving a point after being told he was being released.
He also top-scored for Durham against Glamorgan in the 2021 One-Day Cup final and threatened to win the 2024 tournament with a rapid 44 for Somerset before Glamorgan held on.
“When Mark Wallace got in touch after my agent put the feelers out it was a no-brainer,” said Dickson.
“I’ve got family rooted in Somerset so location was a big factor but also the trajectory of the club, it’s truly impressive and they’ve made good inroads in all formats.
“I like the pressure of finals and it’s a good opportunity to showcase your skill on a bigger stage.”
The 34-year-old Dickson, born in Johannesburg to a British mother, is hoping to rekindle his four-day career alongside his limited-overs form.
“I’ve always aspired to play all three formats and it’ll be an honour to play for Glamorgan in red-ball as well as white-ball cricket, but I’m not filling Sam Northeast’s boots. He’s a fantastic player but I offer different attributes as a player and as a person, and I’ll fill my own boots,” he said.
“Hopefully I can get some good rhythm in red ball cricket where I can do what I’ve done in the past to make some big scores and contribute to some big wins.
“Then my white-ball career has kicked off in being able to win high pressure games and take us over the line.”