Northants urged to adapt to behind-closed-doors Blast

The entire competition is braced to be played without fans and coach David Ripley has called on his players to cope with the change in dynamic

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Northants Steelbacks head coach David Ripley has called on his team to find their own motivation for the Vitality Blast that begins in front of empty stands on Thursday. 

The Steelbacks travel to Gloucestershire for the opening match of the 10-game group stage but the usual lively atmosphere of short-form matches will be absent with Covid-19 protocols continuing.

Ripley says having no external influence to feed off will provide a challenge for his players.

“It’s been part of the chat,” he said. “It will be interesting how teams adapt. You have to provide your own motivation and that could be a factor if you can’t get yourself up for it.

“Batting will probably take care of itself. Our challenge will be to show consistency in the field. We tend to rely on one or two leaders in the field rather than getting that collective buzz going. 

“We’ve talked about taking more responsibility with body language, being sharp between the overs, small things that make you look like you’re up for it.”

Northamptonshire have targeted the T20 Blast this summer - at the expense of selecting their strongest XI for the Bob Willis Trophy - therefore bringing pressure to deliver.

“We have targeted the competition and we want to be the quarter-finals,” said Ripley. “But it’s not our only agenda. We’ve got six guys out of contract to look at. We’ve got division one cricket next year to build for. It is a broad remit that we’re looking at this summer.

“We want to do well in the Blast, we don’t see as much chopping and changing with our squad, we want to establish our first XI, play well and stick with it.”

Covid-19 has prevented most overseas players travelling for the competition and Northamptonshire are without Pakistan fast bowler Faheem Ashraf, who impressed during his stint in 2019. But Paul Stirling, the Ireland batsman, is available and has extended his deal for the whole competition.

^{Ricardo Vasconcelos will be key to Northants' hopes in the competition}

“It’s great that we’ve got Paul and no doubt that adds quality to our batting,” said Ripley. “I’m looking to see him firing at the top of the order.

“The top five looks very strong. I’m a big fan of Adam Rossington at the top of order but he’s going to bat four and show his versatility. Then we’ve got Richard Levi, Paul, Josh Cobb and Alex Wakely who can play any role that’s needed. That top five should be a cornerstone of the campaign.”

Ashraf’s absence leaves a vacancy for a leader of the bowling attack and Brandon Glover could fill the void. The Netherlands international arrived in the new year with a burgeoning reputation after playing a key role in Netherlands’ victory in the World T20 qualifier last autumn.

“He’s s firebrand-type cricketer and throws himself into his cricket,” said Ripley. “He’s got good pace, some good change ups and some good yorkers at the death.

“But there’s some good competition for places. One of the stories of the summer has been Nathan Buck, he's bowled really well in the games he’s played and been consistent. By his own admission, consistency is what he’s been looking for and he’s been really good.

“We know what we’re going to get with Ben Sanderson. We’ve got Gareth Berg who went well in the practice matches. Luke Procter brings something different with maybe the keeper standing up in the middle overs. We’ve got plenty of options even if we haven’t got the overseas we’d all like.”

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