View on the opposition - Northants Steelbacks
Mon 2 Jul 2018
In the first of a series of views on the opposition from the ECB Reporters Network, we gain some insight on Northamptonshire Steelbacks:
T20 record: 4 Finals Day appearances
2009 SF
2013 W
2015 F
2016 W
Last season: 6th
Captain: Alex Wakely
Overseas Players: Rory Kleinveldt (SA), Seekkuge Prasanna (SL)
Big hitter: Richard Levi. The second-highest run-scorer for Northants in T20s, Levi remains one of the most destructive hitters in the world. Blessed with a great eye for a ball and natural timing to match, he can find the boundary at will and his runs from the top of the order are crucial to Northants. He was the county’s leading scorer in last season’s competition, with 375 runs coming in only eight innings and at a strike-rate of 167.
Key bowler: Richard Gleeson. One of the breakthrough bowlers in county cricket of the past few seasons. Gleeson’s elevation from Minor Counties to England Lions has been a fairytale story. Genuinely quick, his spearing yorkers played a huge part of Northants’ 2016 title triumph and his spell against Jos Buttler was one of the highlights of last season. Gleeson was badly missed during the Royal London Cup but having recovered from an elbow problem, is now set to play a big role in another bid for a quarter-final place.
Wild card: Nathan Buck. His career economy rate may be a little high at 8.48 but his 45 wickets have come at 23 and Buck appears to have the attributes to be successful in the shortest format. Tall with decent pace, he hits the pitch and can bowl a hard length that is effective in T20s. If he can hone a yorker as effective as Gleeson’s, Buck could be the surprise in the Northants attack this summer.
* Our first Vitality Blast home game is against Durham Jets on Friday night! The best value tickets are available in advance - they cost just £10 for adults, £7.50 for concessions and £5 for under 16s when brought before 11.59pm on Thursday. Secure your seat at the Fischer County Ground today HERE
