Lehmann targeting another Finals Day and huge improvement in One Day Cup
A return to Vitality Blast Finals Day and a huge improvement in the Metro Bank One Day Cup - they are the Northants Steelbacks' white ball targets for 2026.
Last summer was a mixed bag for Northants when it came to limited overs cricket.
The Blast was a success, with David Willey's side qualifying for the knockout stages from the North Group and then securing a stunning quarter-final success at Surrey, thanks to a scintillating century from Ravi Bopara, to reach their first Finals Day in nine years.
They would go on to lose to a Chris Lynn-inspired Hampshire Hawks at the last four stage at Edgbaston, but head coach Darren Lehmann is targeting at least the same again.
The Steelbacks' 50-over performance, by contrast, was dismal as Northants finished rock-bottom of Group B, with just one win in eight matches, a performance Lehmann, who led Australia to 50-over World Cup success in 2015, labelled 'really bad'.
Lewis McManus has stepped down as the One Day Cup skipper, with a replacement yet to be announced, while Lehmann has also promoted Justin Broad to be Willey's vice-captain in the Blast.
And the head coach wants to see the team 'improve' in both competitions.
Asked about the white ball ambitions for 2026, Lehmann told Steelbacks TV: "We have to try and get back to Finals Day.
"We have a different group and we will have to play as well as we did last year, and we have to improve where you possibly can.
"In the one day cricket we have to improve in that because we were really bad last year, we know that.
"The players are still hurting from that because we didn't perform as we would have liked in the One Day Cup, so that's another are we have to improve.
"We have some new leaders and vice-captains and all that happening around the scenes, so that will be one for us to make sure they are ready to lead their side and their group."
Northants begin the season with six four-day matches in the Rothesay County Championship, before they start their Blast campaign with a home clash against Glamorgan on Friday, May 22.
The One Day Cup, which will again be played at the same time as The Hundred, begins on Tuesday, July 21 with the Steelbacks hosting Warwickshire.
Northants will be without three players for the One Day Cup, with the trip being selected in the Draft for The Hundred last week.
Willey has been picked up by London Spirit, while pace bowler George Scrimshaw was selected by Manchester Super Giants and new signing Louis Kimber will play for Trent Rockets.
The Steelbacks could also lose other players as wildcard picks following the Vitality Blast.
The County squad is currently in South Africa on a warm-weather training camp, and return to the UK next week ahead of a three-day friendly against Cardiff UCCE at the County Ground on March 28.