Cricket

Northamptonshire Steelbacks T20 Preview

T20 preview piece

Northamptonshire Steelbacks 2023 T20 Vitality Blast gets underway on Wednesday 24th May as they welcome Worcestershire Rapids to Wantage Road.

Kicking off their campaign against Worcestershire, the Steelbacks will be hoping to make use of their home advantage towards the start of the Blast.

Worcestershire finished bottom of the group stage last season, losing 11 of their 14 fixtures in 2022, but the Rapids have signed New Zealand duo Mitchell Satner and Michael Bracewell for the 2023 edition who bring plenty of experience to their ranks.

The Steelbacks first away game of the season comes away to Derbyshire Falcons on 29th May, who finished third in the group last year.

The last of Northamptonshire’s 14 group stage games sees John Sadler’s men travel to Old Trafford on Sunday 2nd July to face the 2022 runners up Lancashire Lightning.

The Steelbacks have 4 of their first 5 games at home at the County Ground as they aim to go further than last season’s disappointment of a strong start but ultimately going out in the group stages and not making the knockout round.

The top four of the North and South groups will go through to the Quarter Finals, with an opportunity to progress to Finals Day at Edgbaston on 15th July.

 

Overseas

Northamptonshire have used the overseas market efficiently this season, re-signing last season’s top run scorer Chris Lynn, along with the addition of fellow Australian AJ Tye.

Lynn was in sensational form last season, scoring 516 runs, including two centuries and four half centuries, across the 14 group games last season.

The Australian batsmen smashed club records over his Blast stint, breaking the highest score (113), total runs in a T20 campaign (516), and number of sixes over a single campaign (29).

Fast bowler AJ Tye brings a wealth of experience to the squad, having played more than 200 T20 matches within his career and has been a crucial figure for the Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash. The 36-year-old is also the competition’s second highest wicket taker in history and became the quickest player to reach 300 wickets in T20 cricket worldwide.

Tye also brings a winning mentality to the team, having won the Big Bash four times over his long career and having also played on the biggest stages on an international level.

Willey

Ten years on from their famous 2013 Blast victory, the club will be hoping to reignite their winning form this year.

One man who will know about what it takes to win the competition as a Steelback is David Willey, who was an integral member of the 2013 squad. The all-rounder has re-signed for the club, takes the Captain’s armband and will be available for the entirety of the Vitality Blast.

Willey played an instrumental role with the ball and the bat in the Steelbacks T20 win in 2013, claiming figures of 4-9, which included a stunning hat-trick while also smashing 60 off 27 balls as Northamptonshire beat Surrey by 102 runs.

The England international signed a 4-year-deal at the County Ground last summer.

 

About the Author


Written by DafaNews

DafaNews brings you the most highlighted news in the world of Sports. It serves you up-to-date matches, scores, live streams, fantasy games and quizzes. Our news covers India's prestigious leagues and events – Premier League, Pro Kabbadi League, Cricket World Cup and many more. Follow DafaNews on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,Telegram and Youtube for more updates.

Related Post
Share
Published by
DafaNews

Recent Posts

“Never expected a very easy run” – Gautam Gambhir reflects on his tenure as coach after IND vs NZ 2024 Test series defeat

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has admitted that he never expected a very easy run… Read More

October 31, 2024

Probably has a lot to do with playing on flat wickets in T20 – Gautam Gambhir on decline of good defensive technique in Test cricket

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir feels T20 cricket has led to the downfall of a… Read More

October 31, 2024

India needs Mumbai Test win before Australia tour – Gautam Gambhir

Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir feels the Rohit Sharma-led team desperately needs to win the… Read More

October 31, 2024

I cannot say just the batters have let us down – Gautam Gambhir feels everyone should take responsibility for series loss against New Zealand

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir refused to blame the batters after the team’s 2-0 series… Read More

October 31, 2024

It was insane – Bronny James after scoring his first NBA bucket

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James was on cloud nine after he managed to score… Read More

October 31, 2024

I’m happy with my team’s performance: Mohun Bagan SG head coach Jose Molina after win against Hyderabad FC

Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Jose Molina was delighted with the team’s performance after… Read More

October 31, 2024