Sadler targeting three wins out of three to end One Day Cup group campaign

Northants entertain Worcestershire in a must-win clash at the County Ground on Wednesday (start 11am), before wrapping the section up with a trip to Lancashire on Friday and another home game against Derbyshire next Tuesday.

A trio of wins may be enough to secure a place in the knockout stages, although it would not be a guarantee, but Sadler knows he and his players have to give it their best shot of qualifying.

The Steelbacks have won two and lost three of their five matches to date, with the frustration for Sadler being that they have thrown away a couple of those matches from winning positions.

"We have got a chance, and we have got to try and win these last three games," said the head coach.

"We have played some good cricket, and we have played some poor cricket which has been frustrating because we know how good we are.

"But we also have these little spells where we are off the pace a little bit, and it has cost us a couple of times, but that is the game."

The Steelbacks somehow contrived to lose to group leaders Hampshire last week when they only needed 12 to win with five wickets in hand, and then collapsed from 90 for one to 210 all out to lose to Kent at Canterbury on Sunday.

Those results were a big frustration for Sadler, especially as he felt his team let things slip in those games mentally, rather than due to their ability and technique.

"We always have to keep learning, don't we?," he said.

"We all know that it is okay for people to make mistakes, it is okay for people to miss-execute sometimes, but I think that sometimes we could have been a little bit sharper with our thinking and our planning.

"50-over cricket is a long game, and although we want the lads to be positive, aggressive and be brave, and sometimes if that is the case and they sometimes don't quite execute then that is fine, nobody is going to shout at anybody.

"The disappointing thing is it has not necessarily been the execution, it has been more the thinking sometimes.

"But look, as long as we learn then sometimes you have to do things wrong to learn from it don't you?"

The Steelbacks have won their two home games to date, and Sadler want to stretch that run on Wednesday against a Worcestershire side that have lost all five matches in the competition.

But Sadler also won't be taking the opposition lightly.

"Our home form has been great, and again that is partly our frustration in that we know we can play, but we haven't been able to shift that into our away form," said the head coach.

"It also happened in the T20 as well, so it is something that we are focusing on.

"But when we get back home there is a nice confidence thing in that we know we can be hard to beat at home.

"It is one of those things, and we have to keep learning, keep talking about it and try to improve."

And on Worcestershire, he added: "They have some very good cricketers, and they are a good club."They have had a little slump in results this year, and there are a few bits and bobs going on, with a couple of players moving on, and a couple coming in for next season.

"But we know they are a dangerous side and we have to respect that.

"We will giving them our full attention, definitely."