Interview: Steven Croft previews final County Championship block
Lancashire Cricket head coach Steven Croft says his side are “in a really good place” ahead of the final six Rothesay County Championship games of the season.
The Red Rose are back in first-class action on Thursday, with Northamptonshire set to visit Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground for the club’s Red Ball Celebration fixture.
Croft’s side currently sit seventh in the table but are just 36 points behind second-place Kent, who occupy the promotion spot. It is still all to play for, with the Lancs head coach making it clear that his side are gunning to finish as high as possible.
“I think, broadly, it [our aim] is to finish as high in the league as we possibly can, using some of the momentum we have from the Metro Bank One Day Cup,” explained Croft.
“I feel like the lads are mentally in a really good place. I feel like they’ve played some good cricket, batters have got runs, bowlers have put in some match winning performances as well.
“I think [it’s important] just to play as a team, but as individuals as well, to each do the jobs out there to hopefully push the team as high as we can finish.”
Lancashire are set to be boosted by the arrival of experienced Pakistan spinner Noman Ali. The left-armer boasts an excellent test match record, with 101 wickets in just 22 appearances for his country.
The 39-year-old will be available for the final block of fixtures, and he is a player Croft suggests will be a strong addition to the squad.
“He looks a real competitor. He’s obviously played some test cricket this year, so a player of real quality and someone who looks like you can chuck the ball to at any time in the game.
“I think he’ll give us that control when it’s needed, and then also when we need him to attack, he’ll be more than capable of that as well,” explained Croft.
“I think he’ll compliment our attack really well, and like I said, to hold when needed and then to attack as well. He’s a player of great quality and hopefully we can play around with that.”
The One Day Cup proved to be a fruitful competition for a number of Lancashire players, with Rocky Flintoff one of those. He was the club’s third highest run scorer in the tournament, with 315, including a superb maiden century, scoring 123 against Somerset.
Croft spoke highly of Flintoff’s performances and suggested he is in the reckoning to feature in the County Championship side, along with several other batters.
“He’s put himself in a great position. The way he’s striking the ball, he’s stuck to what he’s good at. I think so [he could play in the County Championship.]
“A lot of that batting unit are sticking their hands up at the right time. These games are coming thick and fast, and hopefully [we can] get on an early roll.”
There will be a big push from the Red Rose now, with six games to go this season. Croft stressed that anything could happen in the final half a dozen matches.
“Those games are coming thick and fast. There’s not much break in between them. So, if we get on an early roll and play some good cricket, we want to finish as high as we can.
“What we want to do as individuals is just tick those little steps off. There are six games to go, but it comes down to Northants and that first ball, that first hour, that first session. We try and win that and then build from there.”
Tickets for Lancashire’s home game against Northamptonshire this week are still available. Don’t miss the Red Ball Celebration fixture, get your tickets here.
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