Sadler delighted 'multi-format player' Cobb is staying on at Northants

Cobb, who turned 32 on Tuesday, has put pen to paper on a two-year deal which means he will be a player at Wantage Road until at least the end of summer, 2024.

Sadler is thrilled that the former Leicestershire man has penned a new contract, and says he expects Cobb to be a key man for the club in all formats of the game.

A two-time T20 Blast winner, including with the Steelbacks in 2016, Cobb has in recent seasons been seen as a white-ball specialist, and he is currently captaining Welsh Fire in The Hundred.

He is also the white-ball skipper at the County Ground, but Sadler has rekindled the player's red-ball career this summer, and he believes Cobb is somebody who can offer a lot, on and off the field.

"It's great to have Josh signed up with us for the next two years.” said Sadler.

“He’s a genuine multi-format player who still has huge aspirations to play all formats moving forward.

“He offers so much more than just his batting, he’s hugely respected within the group and the club so we’re delighted to get him signed up.”

The signing of Cobb means the Northants squad is already looking very strong ahead of the 2023 season.

England all-rounder David Willey joins in the winter, while the others who are locked in for next year are Cobb, Ricardo Vasconcelos, Emilio Gay, Luke Procter, Rob Keogh, Lewis McManus, Saif Zaib, James Sales, Tom Taylor, Ben Sanderson, Jack White and Simon Kerrigan.

Youngsters Harry Gouldstone, Alex Russell, Freddie Heldreich and Gus Miller are also contracted.

You can also throw in a couple of overseas players for the LV= Insurance County Championship and Vitality Blast campaigns.

The players in the current squad who see their contracts expire at the end of this summer include Gareth Berg, Nathan Buck, Charlie Thurston, Ben Curran and Brandon Glover.

Buck is in the Steelbacks squad for Friday's Royal London One Day Cup clash against Lancashire at Blackpool (start 11am).

Sadler has once again rung the changes for the clash on the north west coast, with left-arm spinner Kerrigan and Gouldstone being called up.

There is no place in the squad for Sanderson, Taylor or Keogh.

Steelbacks are looking for only their third victory of the competition, and need to win and hope other results go their way to keep alive their very faint hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals alive.

Steelbacks squad: Young (c), Buck, Gay, Gouldstone, Heldreich, Kerrigan, McManus (wk), Miller, Russell, Sales, Vasconcelos, White, Zaib.