The son of a Northamptonshire great continued to increase his reputation in 2022, as James Sales found himself at the heart of the county’s two County Championship victories.

On as a substitute fielder and hunched over at short-leg, his sharp reaction catch low to his right with less than ten minutes of play remaining on the final day at Canterbury in July has now been viewed thousands of times. Grasping the opportunity offered by Matt Quinn from the bowling of Rob Keogh, it was the moment that give Northamptonshire their first Division One County Championship win since victory over Surrey in 2004. His father, David, hit an unbeaten half-century in that game.

In the playing XI for the second victory, his career-best 71 helped to take the game away from Gloucestershire in the first innings at Cheltenham, also chipping in with two wickets and a gritty 17 in the second innings as Northamptonshire crept over the line.

A World Cup runner-up with England U19s prior to the season’s start, Sales featured in all eight of the Steelbacks’ One Day Cup fixtures in 2022, alongside four appearances in the County Championship and a debut in the Vitality Blast.