Homework pays off for Wakely as finals day place is secured

Alex Wakely watched his side produce an emphatic performance as they thrashed Durham

Northamptonshire trounced Durham by 36 runs in the quarter-final at the County Ground this evening and will join Surrey, who were Tuesday’s other winners, at Edgbaston a week on Saturday.

And the Steelbacks’ captain praised the way his team have turned talk into results,

He said: “When things have come together as they have so far this season then it’s been a joy to captain.

“We did a lot of strategy work, which isn’t really my cup of tea, in the winter about who fields where, who is going to bowl at what time and so on and it’s good that it’s paid off in games.

“You can only do so much in a classroom but it has to be translated into performances on the field.

“We turned up today on a big stage and performed. When things are going against you then it’s hard to turn things around but that hasn’t been the case this season.”

Throughout the season Wakely has stressed the need for the side to not get ahead of itself, of taking each game as a separate entity, and he will be preaching the same message ahead of the tripup the M6 to Birmingham.

He added:“We’ll enjoy tonight but stay pretty grounded.

“There’s no need to change anything and that will be the message when we get to Edgbaston in a week’s time.

“The skills we’ve put into pactice have got us this far and we’ll need more of the same if we are to win next week.”