Northamptonshire and England Lions bowler, Richard Gleeson, has been selected for the MCC squad ahead of their match against Essex in the 2018 Champion County Match.
Gleeson, who has been plying his trade in the West Indies over the last few weeks with the England Lions, has been called in to replace Gloucestershire bowler, Liam Norwell, who has suffered a hamstring injury.
The 30 year old right arm seamer has impressed during his time in West Indies, taking a number of wickets as the Lions sealed the one-day series with a seven wicket victory in Antigua.
Gleeson got the ball rolling in the final test against the West Indies A side, finding the inside edge of Captain Kieran Powell’s bat in the sixth over and being caught by Alex Davies. Gleeson then took the crucial wicket of Shamarh Brooks, halting his charge with an LBW decision and sending him on his way for 63.
Combined with a record of 59 wickets at an average of 25.50 in first-class cricket, as well as 52 wickets in 43 white-ball matches, Gleeson has rightly earned his place in the MCC squad.
As a result of his inclusion in the MCC squad, Gleeson will be joining fellow Lions Daniel Bell-Drummond, Brett D’Oliveira, Sam Northeast and Dom Bess at the Kensington Oval in Barbados for the match against Essex.
With the match taking place between Tuesday 27th and Friday 30th March, it will be a case of one Steelbacks arriving as another group leave, as Northamptonshire are currently preparing for the upcoming season in Barbados, with a game against the North lined up as a warm-up for the North South series for the rest of the squad.
To gain an exclusive look at the squad and how they are preparing for the upcoming season in Barbados, download the brand new Northamptonshire County Cricket app today. Available iOS and Android, the app provides you with behind-the-scenes footage, prize giveaways and much, much more.