Lehmann gives Northants batters the chance to 'front up' at Lancashire after struggles against Kent

The County top order endured a torrid time in the opening Rothesay County Championship clash of the season against Kent at Wantage Road last weekend, which ended in a sobering 145-run defeat for Darren Lehmann's side.

Northants were dismissed for 143 and 114, with their two innings lasting just 75.4 overs in total as Kent claimed an easy win, despite being bowled out for modest scores themselves of 231 and 171.

Rob Keogh hit 64 in the first innings and George Bartlett an unbeaten 60 in the second, but aside from that it was failures all the way as Kent's Keith Dudgeon claimed a career best seven for 36 to wrap up the County's dismal second innings effort.

Head coach Lehmann was not impressed with his side's batting performance, but made it clear he will be sticking with the same players for this week's clash with Lancashire that starts in Manchester on Friday (11am).

"People are just going to have to bear with us," Lehmann told Steelbacks TV. "There will be some saying we have to get an extra player here and three.

"We lost Emilio Gay last year and he was a good player for us, but that's done and he has gone.

"Matt Breetzke going to the IPL has hurt a little bit as he was going to be here, and people will say you should get another overseas in, but the hardest thing about that is the funds.

"So for us it is more about giving our guys the opportunity, the local guys, and we weren't up to scratch in the game against Kent.

"We know we want to be better, and we won't change too much at all.

"It will be the same players heading up to Old Trafford and we need them to play as well as they can.

"So the batters will get another opportunity to front up this week on a Test playing ground and hopefully play well."

After what he called a 'fantastic' pre-season, his first match at the helm against Kent did not go the way former Australia coach Lehmann was anticipating, and he made his feelings pretty clear afterwards.

"That was disappointing with the bat and the players know it, they have to perform better on wickets like that," he said. "They have got to take some accountability.

"It wasn't a two-and-a-half-day wicket, I thought the groundsman did a really good job and we can't make excuses about being bowled out for 140 and 114, especially when we were three for 92 on Saturday chasing 260.

"We should have put on a better performance, as that for me was a nice four-day wicket, more of a 250 wicket in each innings.

"We probably missed out on limiting their score in the first innings by dropping some catches and having some off half-hours.

"I thought we were then excellent with the ball on Saturday to bowl Kent out and get us back in the game, and I would then expect us to get a lot closer than 114 all out.

"We had three blokes that let the ball go and didn't play a shot (Ricardo Vascioncelos, James Sales and Justin Broad). Bats cost about 500 quid – you've got to start using them."

And he added: "I think both sides batted badly, but Kent probably bowled a bit better than us.

"I thought Keogh was excellent in the first innings and Bartlett was great in the second innings, that number three spot was up for grabs and he's really taken it.

"But it is disappointing, and although it's only one game in, we have some work to do."

There will be a new face in the County team heading up to Manchester in the form of leg-spinner Calvin Harrison, who has signed on a two-match loan deal from Nottinghamshire.

He will replace teenage all-rounder Tiaan Louw in the 12-man squad that was named to face Kent.