Lehmann wary of 'dangerous' Bears as top meets bottom at Edgbaston

It's bottom versus top in the Central & West Group, with the Bears having lost three out of three and the Steelbacks having won three out of three, meaning 12 points already separate the two sides with just a quarter of the group stage completed.

But head coach Lehmann is expecting Warwickshire to come good sooner or later, and he has told the Steelbacks to expect a tough game on Sunday - although the players themselves have recently seen close up how good the Bears can be.

The two sides met in a couple of friendly matches on South Africa in pre-season, and it was Northants who came out second best on those occasions.

Asked if it is a good time to play the Bears, Lehmann said: "It's probably a dangerous time to play them to be fair.

"They are a quality side and have some good players.

"We played them in pre-season and they gave us a touch-up, so we will have to play really well at Edgbaston."

And he added: "We know it is going to be a good wicket, and we'll have to have a look at our side because we are changing our side most games and it is really hard because someone is going to miss out.

"Somebody is going to be unlucky like Saif (Zaib) was on Friday, so we will see what happens.

"If it's a turning wicket then Saif will come in, so we will have to make some decisions, and that's just the way it is.

"T20 cricket is a bit different to Championship cricket when you have a bit more time.

"In T20 you have to make sure you get off to a really good start, especially when it is a 12-game comp not 14 games, so you have to start well and we have done that so far.

"But we will recover and we will get ready, because Sunday is a different game."

If Northants are to secure a victory at Edgbaston, then Australian batting duo Chris Lynn and Nathan McSweeney are sure to have to play a big part.

The pair were in great form in Friday's seven-wicket win over Gloucestershire, both hitting quickfire half centuries.

Lynn's 69 was a welcome return to a form for a player who had suffered low scores in the opening two games, but Lehmann was never in doubt the 36-year-old would come good.

"Lynny hit them well didn't he?," said the head coach. "When you haven't played then you are a bit rusty for a while.

"He has been getting back in, he has been working hard on the training deck and he is helping the younger guys out, so we are really pleased with him.

"We know he is going to have two or three games like he did, but you just hope he kicks off early and it was great to see him get some runs on Friday night."

His and McSweeney's second-wicket partnership of 91 in less than nine overs was key to the Steelbacks cruising to victory, and Lehmann is hoping it is the first of many match-winning moments the pair are going to share with Northants.

"McSweeney started like a rocket," said Lehmann. "He got going and took a bit of pressure off Lynn which was really good.

"He is a class player we know that, and they play well together and have obviously played a lot of cricket together.

"They did what had to be done to get the total down."