County to host touring Sri Lankans

The tourists’ schedule will see them visit the County Ground from June 5-8 for their only first-class fixture before a two-Test series against England.

Prior to this outing they will face the host nation in one Twenty20 international and a five-match ODI series.

Having made no secret of the fact that the club are willing to stage these kind of fixtures, chief executive David Smith says that the announcement is further evidence of the progress that is being made at Wantage Road.

He said: “This is good news for us and it will be a good game to host.”

“Obviously we’re delighted to get another tour game and these fixtures are vital for us because they bring different people and more revenue into the club.

“From the conversations we’ve had with the ECB, the Australians rated our outdoor net facility as good as anywhere else in the country and this had some bearing on us being given the Sri Lankan game because it means the rest of their squad can practice while the game is in progress.”

Northamptonshire have featured prominently on the schedules of touring teams in recent years and this is something that Smith wants to see continue.

He added: “We put our name forward to host any touring side whether that is an Under-19 side, a women’s side or a disability side.

“We try to stay on the front foot in all of these matters and touring sides can request certain grounds, so it pays for us to do a good job and make them feel welcome.”