​Is David Willey revved up for red ball action for Northants?

​The Northants head coach insists the all-rounder is 'keen' to play in the LV= County Championship next summer, but whether or not he does will depend on the player's fitness and franchise commitments.

Willey has retired from international cricket but is still sure to be in demand across the globe, having featured regularly in the Big Bash League, the Indian Premier League and The Hundred as well as other tournaments in the recent past.

The 33-year-old hasn’t played a first-class game since the summer of 2021, and hasn’t played a red ball match for Northants since 2015, weeks before he left Wantage Road for a seven-year stint at Yorkshire.

But it seems clear if he can turn out in the whites for the County next year, he will.

"Dave is keen to play some red ball cricket," said Sadler.

"Depending on his body and everything else that is going on, but he is keen to feature in red ball cricket for us, but what that looks like we don't know yet.

"That was always the plan with bringing him back from Yorkshire.

"We accepted that he still had England commitments, we accepted that he would be playing in the IPL, we know that he has got other stuff, and that is why we signed him on a longer deal.

"We know that over the course of the four, five however many years he is with us, we know we will get that return on our investment on him.

"But he has been great and he is going to be around a bit more, which is good for us."

One of the issues for Willey has been ensuring he is fit enough to switch from the short, sharp burst of T20 to the grind of red ball cricket, but Sadler believes his stint in the World Cup, and in the heat of India, has helped on that front.

"I have chatted to Dave quite a bit while he has been out in India, and he has said that it has been quite brutal," said Sadler.

"He said the demands of 50-over cricket on his body have been a lot more akin to four-day cricket than they have to T20.

"Being out in the field for three hours in 45 degree heat in India, it takes its toll, and then bowling back-to-back spells as well.

"But Dave is very conscious of his body, he has dedicated everything to ensuring his body is in peak condition over the past 15 years.

"So the last thing he wants to do is play when he potentially won't get through a four-day game. We’ll see how it unfolds and see what happens, but he is very keen to be involved."