MATCH PREVIEW: Lancashire vs Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Metro Bank One-Day Cup
Lancashire have played some excellent white-ball cricket this season, in the Vitality Blast, and they plan on continuing the trend in 50-over cricket.
Lancashire v Northamptonshire Steelbacks
Metro Bank One-Day Cup, Group B
Tuesday August 5, 2025, 11am
Sedbergh School, Sedbergh
Labelled a development competition by many, make no mistake, this competition is hugely significant in the grand scheme of things.
To the Red Rose players, staff and supporters, it holds a special place in everyone’s heart given the county’s rich history when it comes to this format.
Jack Bond, David Lloyd, David Hughes, Mike Watkinson. They have all captained the county to one-day silverware.
Now it’s Marcus Harris’s turn.
The county’s overseas Australian batter will lead the county’s pursuit of a first major List A trophy since 1999 when they won the CGU League crown.
Lancashire finished bottom of Group A last season, winning only two of eight. Northamptonshire finished second-bottom with the same record, though ahead courtesy of a superior net run-rate.
One of Lancashire’s victories was against the Steelbacks at Wantage Road.
The county will be missing Sir James Anderson, Tom Aspinwall, Jos Buttler, Rocky Flintoff, Chris Green, Tom Hartley, Matty Hurst, Keaton Jennings, Liam Livingstone, Phil Salt, Mitch Stanley, Luke Wells and Luke Wood to the Hundred.
Lancashire, who beat Cheshire in a warm-up game at Sedbergh on Sunday, have signed South Asian Cricket Academy product Arav Shetty on a deal for this competition after the batting all-rounder has impressed in second-team cricket.
Opposition
Like Lancashire, Northamptonshire have qualified for the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast.
While the Red Rose finished top of the North Group, the Steelbacks finished fourth.
Coach Darren Lehmann will be without the likes of Saif Zaib and Ben Sanderson, who are both in the Hundred, while they haven’t re-signed last year’s leading run-scorer Prithvi Shaw (343).
They have, however, recruited Shaw’s fellow Indian Yuzvendra Chahal, the leg-spinner who returns to Wantage Road for another spell until the end of the season.
All rounder Justin Broad was their leading wicket-taker last season, his seamers accounting for 13 in this competition.
Opposition player to watch
Justin Broad is a 25-year-old South African-born international in his third season at Wantage Road.
A seamer who can bat in dynamic fashion, he will be key to Northamptonshire’s chances of success in this season’s 50-over competition.
He is closing in on 2,000 senior runs across all formats and has, in recent weeks, gone beyond the 50-wicket mark.
Broad comes into the Metro Bank One-Day Cup brimming with confidence having hit a career best 171 batting at number seven in last week’s Rothesay County Championship draw against Derbyshire.
The former MCC Young Cricketer played nine T20 internationals for Germany in 2022.
Previous meeting
Lancashire beat Northamptonshire at Wantage Road in mid-August last year, the county’s first 50-over win of the campaign in their seventh game of eight.
After six successive defeats, the Red Rose won a thriller by four runs as they defended a total of 240-9, in which they were forced to recover from 98-5 and 152-7.
George Balderson led the way with a well-paced 53 off 67 balls, while left-arm seamer Josh Boyden clattered 44 not out off 35. The pair shared 65 for the eighth wicket.
Boyden had a stunner of a day, going on to take 2-49 from eight overs with the ball as Northamptonshire could only respond with 236-8.
Justin Broad hit what remains a List A career best 63, but wickets fell regularly around him, including two for the spin of Jack Morley.
The Steelbacks needed 21 off the last two overs with four wickets left, Ricardo Vasconcelos unbeaten at the crease. But Venkatesh Iyer removed him in the penultimate, and Chris Green closed things out in the last.
What they said
There has obviously been the odd bump in the road for Lancashire recently, chiefly last week’s Rothesay County Championship defeat to fellow promotion chasers Glamorgan.
But interim head coach Steven Croft believes the Red Rose head into the Metro Bank One-Day with their season on an “upward trend”.
A couple of Championship wins and qualification for the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast, Croft said: “I think the last six to eight weeks have been really good, and we want to keep that going.
“Obviously, we lose a lot of players to the Hundred. But that gives opportunity to the younger lads.
“We’ve made an addition with Arav Shetty, and it’s a really exciting time.
“Some of these lads have really deserved the opportunity.
“George Bell's not just been knocking on the door, he's been banging on the door. He's put some really big runs up there, as have others with bat and ball.
"You've got the senior players in Marcus Harris, Tom Bailey and the likes, then the younger ones at the other end.
“I think it's a great competition for that. As a player, you always took a lot from the senior professionals, especially those who have played international cricket and been there. The best place for that learning is actually playing and getting out there.”
And Croft added, with confidence: “We lose 12 players or so to the Hundred, but I back the players we’ve got.”
How’s Stat!
A good campaign may see Marcus Harris reach 3,000 career List A runs. He has totalled 2,614 runs in 81 matches to date, including three centuries with a best of 142 not out.
The Australian left-hander averages 34.85 in this format.
He batted at three for Victoria in the final of the 50-over Dean Jones Trophy, scoring 41 in a defeat to South Australia at the start of March.