After a rain-affected last day prevented Northamptonshire’s chances of victory against Derbyshire in the Rothesay County Championship, attention quickly turns to the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
The Steelbacks kick off their campaign with a trip to Sedbergh School where they will face Lancashire.
This year, the Club have lost four players to The Hundred, with David Willey (Trent Rockets), Ben Sanderson (Trent Rockets), Saif Zaib (Welsh Fire) and George Scrimshaw (Oval Invincibles) all set to appear in the tournament and miss the 50-over domestic competition.
Northamptonshire have boosted their ranks heading into the competition with New Zealand international Tim Robinson re-joining the Club. The top order batter will be available for the whole of the competition, while the Steelbacks have signed young seamer Ben Whitehouse on a one-month rookie deal to provide some seam cover. Indian leg-spinner Yuzi Chahal will also feature in the competition, with his only appearance in the Metro Bank One Day Cup resulting in a five-wicket haul for the white ball specialist.
Like last year, Lewis McManus will lead the side, as well as taking the gloves.
Opponent Preview: Lancashire
Previewed by Graham Hardcastle – ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
Captain: Marcus Harris
2024 Position: Ninth (Group A)
2024 Most Runs: Josh Bohannon (274)
2024 Most Wickets: Charlie Barnard (8)
Player to watch: Josh Bohannon is Lancashire’s linchpin batter in this format and has been their leading run-scorer in the past two campaigns, scoring a century in each of them. Former England Lions captain Bohannon is likely to bat at number three with the aim of batting through the innings and cashing in at the end.
Young gun: Left-arm spinner Charlie Barnard led the way for the Red Rose in last season’s competition with eight wickets and impressed hugely on their pre-season tour of India. A wily spinner, an old head on young shoulders type, the 20-year-old took four wickets in three Vitality Blast matches in late May and early June and should be front and centre over the next month.
Final thought: Lancashire, bottom of the pile last year, have not won a major List A title in more than a quarter of a century but came close in this competition in 2022 when they were beaten by Kent in a Trent Bridge final. Australian overseas batter Marcus Harris will captain the Red Rose, with Keaton Jennings and Sir James Anderson both having been selected in The Hundred. They have also signed emerging batting all-rounder Arav Shetty until the end of the season.