Taylor impressed by strength of seam bowling 'battery' at Northants

Tom Taylor believes Northants have the strength, depth and variety in their seam bowling attack to be a serious force to be reckoned with in the LV= Insurance County Championship Group 3 this season.
Tom Taylor is being rested for the County's current four-day clash with GlamorganTom Taylor is being rested for the County's current four-day clash with Glamorgan
Tom Taylor is being rested for the County's current four-day clash with Glamorgan

The former Leicestershire man is sitting out the current clash with Glamorgan at the County Ground, as he is rested after featuring in the draw with Kent and the loss to Lancashire.

The 26-year-old ended those matches as the team’s leading wicket-taker with seven victims at an average of 34, but he finds himself taking a break this weekend.

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That is simply down to the fact head coach David Ripley has so many seam options at his disposal, and the team has so many matches to play in a short space of time.

Overseas signing Wayne Parnell, a left-armer, was added to the pace bowling ranks for Glamorgan clash, and with everybody fit, the County can select from a seam bowling group of Parnell, Taylor, Ben Sanderson, Nathan Buck, Gareth Berg, Jack White, Brandon Glover and Luke Procter.

With eight Championship matches being played in the opening nine weeks, Taylor knows resources are going to have to be fully utilised to keep everybody fresh and firing, and accepts he can't play every match.

He said: “Rest and rotation is going to be massive.

“We have a great battery of seam bowlers here, so I think anybody can come in on any pitch and it is just going to be a case of managing workloads, especially with the 10 group games.

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“I think every bowler will get four or five games in, and it is just about the team getting the 20 wickets.

“If we do that in every game, then I think we will be somewhere near.”

On his own good form at the start of this season, Taylor said: “As we all did, I had a bit of a different winter, but in the build up to the games I felt fresh and raring to go.

“You always have that hunger to get games going again, but I think some winters you spend all winter bowling and by the time the season comes round you are tired already!

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“This time it has been good, the legs are fresh and it has been a good start.”

Taylor reached a career milestone at Old Trafford last weekend, claiming his 100th first-class wicket - although that was news to him!

“I had no idea about that,” he admitted. “Then during the game somebody mentioned it to me, so that was pleasing to tick that one off and it has been a nice start.”