More milestones for skipper Willey as he draws level with two-time Blast winner Wakely
Darren Lehmann has heaped praise on skipper David Willey after the Northants Steelbacks skipper ticked off yet more impressive milestones on Tuesday night.
The former England all-rounder led Northants to a six-wicket win over the Worcestershire Rapids at the County Ground to make it six wins out of six this season and, as always, he led from the front.
Left-armer Willey first claimed two for 28 to help restrict the visitors to 154 for five when they batted first, and then hit 47 from 33 balls to help get his team over the line at the cinch County Ground.
During that innings, Willey passed a whopping 5,000 runs in T20 cricket, and that came on a night that also saw him match Alex Wakely's T20 appearance record for the club - with both players now locked on 133 games.
The clash with the Rapids was also Willey's 50th game as T20 skipper for the Northants, having rejoined the club from Yorkshire ahead of the 2023 season.
And although he will overtake Wakely's high appearance mark when he leads the Steelbacks out for their next T20 date against Essex on June 26, he still has a long way to go to overhaul the two-time Blast winner's 77 matches as captain!
They are still records to be proud of, and asked about Willey after Tuesday's match, Lehmann admitted: "Dave is a pretty important player for us.
"He leads well, he captains well, and he is tactically getting better and better each time he represents us and captains the side.
"That is the pleasing thing about it, and the boys are responding well.
"Everyone knows their roles, they are doing it and it is making our job as coaches a lot easier, because they are playing with a freedom which is good to see."
The Steelbacks, who are four points clear at the top of the Central & West Group, now take a two-week break from the Blast as County Championship cricket returns for a two-match window.