So too was there no opportunity to regain confidence with the pressure of captaincy lifted in the shortest format. Vasconcelos injured for the duration of the Vitality Blast. The chance to play without fear may well have reinvigorated the wicketkeeper-batter.
There were, however, signs of Vasconcelos being back to his best in the final months of the season. Not least in the One Day Cup, in which two centuries were scored, and a fighting 79 against Surrey in the County Championship in a partnership of 127 with Saif Zaib helped to earn Northamptonshire an excellent draw. The talent merely in hiding, and certainly not lost.