Match times, streaming information, tickets and travel, team news, head-to-head record, weather forecast, prediction, and everything else you need to know ahead of the latest round of the County Championship...
Fixture: Northamptonshire v Sussex
Venue: County Ground, Northampton
Dates: Thursday, May 6, 2021 - Sunday, May 9, 2021
Start time: 11am
What's the lowdown?
Sussex, despite winning a number of admirers for the youthful hue of their line-up, are going through a rocky patch with back-to-back losses in their own backyard.
Having thrown away a golden opportunity to beat Yorkshire in round three, falling 48 runs short in a fourth-innings chase of 235, Ian Salisbury’s charges surrendered a 98-run first-innings lead to lose by five wickets to Lancashire last week.
Northamptonshire were involved in the game of the Championship thus far at Headingley and now have to contend with the ignominy of ending up on the wrong side of a contest which was decided by a single run.
They can take comfort both from the fact that they ran the home side so close and a thumping win against Glamorgan one week earlier, where they chased 355 on the final day to win by seven wickets.
Who's in form?
Hard-hitting opener Ricard Vasconcelos currently sits third in the Championship runscoring table and has 485 runs at 80.83 this term, including two monster hundreds, his highest the unbeaten 185 which led Northamptonshire to victory against Glamorgan.
Sussex’s Tom Haines is a contrasting type of opening batter but has been hardly less effective for it and has three fifties and a century so far.
With the ball, though he sat out last week’s fixture, Ollie Robinson has been typically relentless for the Hove-based side and took an eye-catching nine-for against Glamorgan.
Northants’ South African left-armer Wayne Parnell put it a phenomenal all-round display against Yorkshire. He took 10 wickets in the match and then came agonisingly close to getting his side over the line with the bat but was the last man out with one required.
Last five first-class matches (most recent first)
Northamptonshire: LWLDD
Sussex: LLWDW
Head-to-head first-class record
Total matches: 132
Northamptonshire wins: 41
Sussex wins: 38
Draws: 53
Abandoned: 1
What's the team news?
Northamptonshire: The big news for Northamptonshire is that skipper Adam Rossington returns having been ruled out last week with a finger injury.
Ricardo Vasconcelos will be relieved of his duties both with the gloves and as captain. Nathan Buck is also back from injury. Emilio Gay makes way.
Squad: Adam Rossington (c/wk), Gareth Berg, Nathan Buck, Ben Curran, Brandon Glover, Rob Keogh, Simon Kerrigan, Wayne Parnell, Luke Procter, Ben Sanderson, Tom Taylor, Charlie Thurston, Ricardo Vasconcelos, Saif Zaib
Sussex: Australian batsman Travis Head is included for the first time this season having completed his quarantine period.
After his rest last week, Ollie Robinson is back in the squad. George Garton is rotated out having played every game so far this season. Will Beer and Ali Orr miss out and have been playing in the 2nd XI against Surrey alongside Jofra Archer.
Squad: Ben Brown (c/wk), Jamie Atkins, Jack Carson, Tom Clark, Henry Crocombe, Tom Haines, Travis Head, Stuart Meaker, Delray Rawlins, Ollie Robinson, Joe Sarro, Aaron Thomason, Stiaan van Zyl
Latest Northamptonshire news: Click here
Latest Sussex news: Click here
Who's said what?
Northamptonshire batting coach John Sadler is philosophical about last week’s one-run defeat at Headingley.
He said: “The game ebbed and flowed from start to finish for four days, from the first ball when we got the wicket of Adam Lyth, right the way through to that last ball, the game was in the balance. It was a fantastic game of cricket, as good a game as I’ve been involved in in a long time.”
He has also been encouraged by his charges performances with the bat this season, and singles out Vasconcelos for praise.
“He’s a fantastic player and I love watching him when he’s in full flow.Some of the performances the batters have put in have been outstanding this year, they’ve all shown glimpses of what they can do.”
Whilst frustrated to have lost two on the trot having been ahead in both games, Sussex head coach Ian Salisbury is encouraged by the progress his side made against tough opposition: “If you put it in football terms, we were one-nil up at 60 minutes and then ended up losing two-one in the end, without being overly outplayed. We need to score that second goal to give us the best chance of the win or at the very least the draw. It’s frustrating, of course, but I think you can put a lot of it down to inexperience coupled with a couple of things not going our way.
“But did we get better as a side again? I fully believe we did. Jack Carson was outstanding in controlling the game from the bottom end, into the wind on a pitch that didn’t turn hugely, which let the seamers rotate at the other end. I thought it was Stuart Meaker’s best performance in a Sussex shirt.”
The new format of this year’s County Championship, Salisbury reckons, has been as much of a boon to this week’s opposition as it has to his side.
He said: “Northants – like others that have been in the second division and haven’t had the chance to play against teams like Yorkshire and Lancashire - look like they have been invigorated by the format we’re playing. They’ve had two great matches in the last couple of weeks and they’ll be just as enthused by how they’re cricket is going as we are. I expect nothing else other than another tough, exciting game which will be another test for our team to see where we’re at.”
What's the weather forecast?
A possibility of a bit of rain at the start of day one, and most of day three. Otherwise largely dry, if not particularly warm, with a top temperature of 14 degrees Celsius.
Keep up to date with the MetOffice’s rolling forecast for Northampton: Click here
How do I follow the match?
TV/stream: Northamptonshire will offer live coverage of the match via their website: Click here
All County Championship matches are also available via the ECB's central hub: Click here
The matches can also be viewed on mobile via the ECB app.
Radio: BBC Local Radio and the BBC Sport website will carry ball-by-ball radio commentary of the game.
Digital: The Cricketer will carry live scorecards and daily updates from every County Championship match in 2021, as well as the latest breaking news from around the counties and exclusive features. Visit our County Hub for more.
Going to the game?
Tickets: This match is to be played behind closed doors owing to Covid-19 restrictions.
Travel: Not applicable owing to Covid-19 restrictions.
Prediction?
Adam Rossington's return is big news for Northamptonshire, who will need to pick themselves up after the drama of Headingley. Sussex have been in undulating form. Weather may also play a factor. Draw.
OTHER ROUND FIVE PREVIEWS
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
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