Saif Zaib to miss Steelbacks' One Day Cup campaign after Hundred wildcard call-up

​The 25-year-old has been confirmed as one of the Headingley-based team's two Vitality Blast wildcard picks, along with Kent's Ollie Robinson.

Zaib will join up with the 16-man Superchargers squad ahead of the start of The Hundred campaign, which begins on August 1. The Superchargers' first match is on Thursday, August 3 against Birmingham Phoenix.

Zaib joins Steelbacks skipper David Willey as the only two Northants player to be involved in the competition this year.

Willey has made the switch from the Superchargers to Welsh Fire, who are coached by former Northants opening batter Mike Hussey.

Zaib is joined in the Superchargers squad by former Northants all-rounder and team-mate Wayne Parnell, and among his other squad-mates at Headingley will be England Test captain Ben Stokes, as well as the likes of Adil Rashid, Harry Brook, Tom Banton, Adam Hose, Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts.

Zaib was a short-term two-match call-up for the Superchargers last season, but didn't get to play, so he will be hoping he gets the chance to show what he can do this time around.

It was a disappointing campaign overall for the Steelbacks in 2023 as they once again failed to reach the quarter-finals, but Zaib was one of the better and more consistent performers with the bat.

He hit 330 runs at an average of 30 and with a strike-rate of 138.07, cracking two half-centuries along the way. Zaib was barely used as a bowler, getting through just 10.2 overs in 14 matches.

Zaib will be available for Northants’ next two LV= Insurance County Championship matches before heading off to The Hundred.

Northants entertain Somerset from next Wednesday (July 19) before travelling to Old Trafford to play Lancashire on July 25.

Once that match is out of the way, the Steelbacks will warm up for the One Day Cup Group B campaign with a one-day friendly against Cambridgeshire, which will be played at Peterborough Town CC on Sunday, July 30.

The One Day competition then starts with an opening day trip to Gloucestershire on August 4, before Sussex arrive at the County Ground on Sunday, August 6.

Northants’ other opponents in the group are Derbyshire, Durham, Glamorgan, Somerset, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.