Skipper Procter back as Northants get ready to 'start the campaign again' against Kent

After a month of helter-skelter white ball cricket in the Vitality Blast, it's back to the bread and butter of the four-day game, and head coach John Sadler and his players have got a lot of work to do over the final eight games of the season.

The next two matches offer the County the opportunity to breathe life into the campaign, as the visit from second-from-bottom Kent, who are just 10 points better off than Northants, is followed by a trip to third-from-bottom Middlesex.

Northants endured a torrid time at the back end of the opening block of six Championship games, losing three of those and in the process being bowled out for scores of 63, 72 and 56.

For the visit of Kent, the County will be boosted by the return of skipper Luke Procter who is fit again after missing the past three matches with a shoulder injury, while the likes of Emilio Gay and Ben Sanderson are now also fully fit and firing.

Procter warmed up for his return with a big century for the seconds against Yorkshire IIs in Leeds in midweek.

The next two fixtures could be season-defining for Northants, and Sadler admitted: "They are two huge games for us.

"For the second block of the opening six games we were a bit depleted to be honest, confidence was down and it was tough.

"We came up against some good opposition in tough conditions without our main senior pros around.

"Whereas now we have some players back from injury, some guys who have got a bit of a point to prove because they know they have underperformed, and these are two massive games for us.

"I know Kent will be in the same position, and Middlesex when we play them as well.

"We just have to go almost start the campaign again, and focus on this little block coming up."

Australian Sam Whiteman will be back in action against Kent, but Northants will be without a second overseas player after their attempts to bring in a spin bowler for the next four games were thwarted.

One new face who could feature though is batting all-rounder Justin Broad.

The 22-year-old signed a professional contract with the club just over a week ago having starred for the second team since the start of the summer, and he has started the past four Blast games.

Asked if he could be involved in red-ball cricket as well, Sadler said: "Justin will be in the squad and will be in the mix.

"He has played some good cricket, scored a lot of runs and it is healthy competition for players, even if he doesn't play he is not far away.

"He will provide competition for those people who are in possession of a place which is always healy for the squad.

"We didn't have that at the start of the year because of injuries, now we have it and it raises people's sharpness and raise their game a little. That's what happens when there is pressure from underneath.

"So Justin will be there or thereabouts, but there has been no decision made on the final team yet."

Northants will go into the Kent game on a high after the Steelbacks claimed a third win in four Blast matches at Leicestershire Foxes on Friday.

It was an excellent performance from the County, who posted 210 for seven thanks to half-centuries from Chris Lynn and Saif Zaib, and then bowled the Foxes out for just 118.

The on-song Sanderson led the way with the ball, claiming three for 20, while there were two wickets apiece for skipper David Willey, AJ Tye and Broad.Lewis McManus claimed four catches and a stumping to become the first Steelbacks wicket-keeper to claim five dismissals in T20 cricket.

“It’s a nice milestone to get," said McManus. "But most importantly, the lads bowled really well. We were defending what we felt was an above-par score but we were still clinical with the ball and we were good all-round in the field too.

“In the powerplay, they did the basics really well, nothing too cute about it, just hit the top with variations and make the batsmen do something different.

"And we are backing them up in the field now, which was an area where we let ourselves down a bit earlier in the competition.

“We are starting to play some really clever cricket in the last couple of games. We have a week before we play our final game.

"Hopefully we can still qualify for the quarter-finals but we can only control what is in our hands, so we’ll have to see."

The Steelbacks are sixth in the table with one match remaining, at Lancashire Lightning on July 2.

They will be knocked out before then if Notts Outlaws or Yorkshire Vikings win their fixtures next Friday night, versus Birmingham Bears and Lancashire Lightning respectively.