Boost for Northants as Conway stays on, but Lehmann set to rotate squad as red ball cricket returns
Darren Lehmann is ready to rotate his squad as Northants return to red ball action with a Rothesay County Championship Division Two clash with Gloucestershire at the cinch County Ground on Friday (start 11am).
But one player who will be turning out at least two more times is pace bowler Harry Conway.
Initially signed on a six-match deal over the opening two months of the season, the club has announced the Australian has extended his stay and will be available for the next two red ball games.
The fact Conway, who turned out for Kislingbury Temperance in the Northants Cricket League to keep himself ticking over, has been retained couled mean that fellow opener Ben Sanderson is rested after a taxing start to the summer in red and white ball cricket.
After the home date with Gloucestershire, the County make the long trip to leaders Durham seven days later.
They are two crucial Championship outings as Northants aim to stay on the promotion trail, and Lehmann knows he is going to have to juggle his resources carefully to ensure his team still has the teeth to get the wins they need.
Asked if he will be looking at rotating players for the Championship matches, the head coach said: "I think we will have to rotate players.
"I see Sando is towards the end of the petrol tank, so we might have to give him a game off here and there and see what happens.
"All the bowlers have been fantastic so we will work that through the next two weeks, but these are big Championship games for us.
"We still have to pick an attack that can get us 20 wickets, and we will look at the pitch on Thursday and we will make a decision there.
"But I would think we will give people a game off here and there."
The red ball fixtures come in the middle of two six-match blocks of Vitality Blast fixtures, meaning the players are going to have to quickly switch focus from the crash, bang wallop of T20 cricket to the first-class game.
But Lehmann doesn't believe that is going to be an issue for his team.
"I think the players are used to that," said the Australian. "All cricketers are a lot better at adapting to things than us old blokes were!
"Things change pretty quickly all the time, so I don't see any problems."
Northants host a Gloucestershire side they beat by two wickets when the sides met in the Championship in Bristol last month.
Gloucestershire have won one and lost five of their red ball games this summer, and are currently 37 points adrift at the foot of the table.