After a disappointing season in 2012 Northants will be looking to improve this summer.
Northants had a dire year in 2012 with no other county side winning less Championship, CB40 or Twenty20 matches.
Their poor performance saw head coach David Capel receive the sack as the side finished second-bottom of the County Championship Division Two.
After coming close to promotion in 2011 Northants’ complete failure in the four-day format was something of a surprise, but it was their dismal short-over showings that hit the club financially.
With one-day and Twenty20 matches being the biggest money spinners, as it draws in bigger crowds, county sides look to put up at least a decent fight with the white ball.
Since the end of the 2012 season Northants have inevitably lost some of their senior players, with Jack Brooks, Chaminda Vaas, Rob White and Niall O’Brien all leaving the club.
New chief executive David Smith has shaken up the side, changing Andrew Hall as captain to Stephen Peters for the County Championship and Alex Wakely for the limited-over teams.
The county have also acquired new talent shrewdly, bringing in Steven Crook and Matt Spreigel as well as relatively unknown fast bowler Mohammad Azharullah.
Northants are also lucky to have two of the most promising English talents in county cricket at their disposal – ‘keeper Ben Duckett and bowler Olly Stone.
After hitting rock bottom last year the only way can be up for the Division Two side and their eagerness to improve their home-grown talent can only be a good thing for both the county and the England national team.
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