All-rounder Willey in line for Championship comeback

David Willey has returned to bowling after recovering from a back injury

The Bears come to town tomorrow (Sunday) to face a County side who are already 42 points adrift at the foot of the Division One standings, albeit with a game in hand on Durham and two on Lancashire who are immediately above.

But games in hand mean nothing if they aren’t won and the County, if they are to somehow get out of the predicament they find themselves in, need to open their account and soon.

And with that in mind, Willey’s inclusion in a side that has struggled to bowl the opposition out consistently is a welcome fillip, if for no other reason that his left-arm seam provides some much-needed variety and his batting will bolster an out of form order.

There is also the chance that Richard Levi could be included if Ian Butler is injured, as he was for the Yorkshire Natwest t20 Blast game on Friday, but the club were being cagey on the issue in the build-up.

Should Levi get the nod then one of the top order will miss out, probably David Sales who has only managed to muster 103 runs in six Championship innings.

Olly Stone is back fit and could feature if changes to the attack are deemed necessary, as could Steven Crook who was the pick of the seamers against Sri Lanka, but it would be a toos-up as to who is excluded with both Muhammad Azharulah and Maurice Chambers proving ineffective in recent weeks.

Northants from: Peters, Middlebrook, Keogh, Sales, Newton, Hall, Willey, Chambers, Duckett, Azharullah, Stone, Crook, Levi.