Northants coach Sadler aiming to build on 2022 foundation

John Sadler is not a man known for making bold predictions, and he isn’t about to start now.

Following the release of fixtures for next season, the head coach was asked about his targets for the campaign after Northants’ excellent 2022 in first-class cricket.

Playing in the top flight for the first time since 2014, the County excelled in finishing sixth, and in so doing avoided relegation for the first time since two-divisions were introduced in 2000.

The club's three previous seasons in division one (2001, 2004, 2014) had all ended in relegation, but not this time.

So how do Northants build on that achievement in 2023?

It was Sadler’s first season in charge at the County Ground, and he said: "The target is continuous improvement in everything we do.

"It is going to be tough, and in some regards it will be tougher next year because the expectation levels are up now.

"Nobody other than ourselves expected us to do anything of any note as we did, but the expectation level now is that we have to match what we did.

"In some regards that will be tougher, but we also know and believe how good we are, and we know we can beat anybody.

"We know we played some good, consistent cricket, so the belief and confidence is high, which is fantastic, but we also know that teams are going to see us slightly differently.

"So it is about continuous improvement, without putting a number on anything.

"I am always sceptical about putting numbers on stuff, but ultimately we want to continue to get better, and then there is obviously the white ball stuff as well."

The County will start next summer with a trip to Canterbury to play Kent in the Championship on April 6, before hosting newly-promoted Middlesex a week later.

They are the first two of six four-day games in a testing opening stint, but Sadler is happy with how the fixtures have panned out for his team.

"We have six games in seven weeks, and it is tough,” said the 41-year-old.

"Last year I think we had a game, then we had a week off, and then we had five on the bounce.

"So in 2023 it looks a little bit kinder, as we will have three matches, then we will have a break, and then we will have three more before the T20s.

"It is still hectic, it is still intense, and we will have to manage some bodies, particularly the bowlers.

"But I think it is quite kind that we have three games, then a break and then three more. I don't think we could have asked for much more than that.

"There is a Uni game at the start as well (against Oxford UCCE) and we will make sure we get the lads up to speed, and we can use that as we need to, and then it all starts at Canterbury."

The Vitality Blast starts on May 24, and Sadler is keen to improve on the team's efforts in 2022, and reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2020.

He said: "We showed how good we can be in white ball cricket and we did it for a period of time, but we just fell away in the last four games, and that is something that is a real target.

"There are strong teams in that North division, so it is going to be difficult, but with the squad we have, and the way we have performed, we believe we can do well."