Northants slide to rock bottom ahead of key Gloucestershire showdown

Following a third defeat of the season against Glamorgan at Cardiff on Sunday, Northants knew they were in danger of sliding to the base of the table depending on Monday's results, and that's what happened.

Lancashire's draw with Derbyshire, their fifth in six matches this season, ensured they leapfrogged Darren Lehmann's side who now go into Friday's clash with Gloucestershire looking up at the rest.

Gloucestershire in contrast will be on a high, as they secured a first win of the season against fast-fading Kent to move up the table to fourth.

As for Northants, they are four points adrift at the bottom, and are now 26 points behind second-placed Derbyshire in what is a congested table up to that second promotion place.

But they are a whopping 56 points behind in-form leaders Leicestershire, who claimed a fourth win of the campaign in thrashing Middlesex at Lord's at the weekend.

The match with Gloucestershire is the County's seventh of the campaign, and its conclusion will mark the halfway point of the Championship season.

Meanwhile, hopes have increased that Matthew Breetzke could be available for the start of the Steelbacks' Vitality T20 Blast campaign following Lucknow Super Giants' defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League on Monday.

The defeat means Lucknow cannot now reach the play-offs, and their season will definitely end at the conclusion of their group campaign.

They play their final match on Tuesday, May 27, when they host Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

The Steelbacks Blast campaign begins a few days later when they travel to Headingley to play Yorkshire Vikings on Friday, May 30, with their first home clash against Leicestershire following on two days later on Sunday, June 1.

Breetzke, who had originally been signed to play the opening seven matches of the County Championship for Northants before being snapped for the IPL, has been with Lucknow for the entirety of their campaign, but has yet to play a single minute of competitive cricket.

Super Giants still have two group games to play, with their next on Thursday (May 22) against Gujarat Titans ahead of that final date with Royal Challengers.

Breetzke last played back on March 9 when he turned out for Warriors in a South African Provincial One-Day Challenge Division One fixture.

Steelbacks skipper David Willey has already returned from his stint with Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League, and played in a Second XI T20 friendly against Glamorgan IIs on Monday.