Coach Darren Lehmann keen to see David Willey play red-ball cricket for Northants

The head coach has revealed he has had discussions with Willey about playing red ball cricket for the County this summer, and is hopeful it could happen towards the end of the season.

But Lehmann is also well aware that Steelbacks skipper Willey is a wanted man when it comes to franchise cricket, and that his commitments to the Pakistan Super League as well as The Hundred will limit his options for donning the whites once more.

Willey has yet to feature in red ball cricket since rejoining Northants from Yorkshire two years ago, and the 34-year-old hasn't played a first-class fixture of any kind since turning out for the White Rose against Somerset at Scarborough in September, 2021.

Willey will play for Multan Sultans in the PSL, which runs from April 11 to May 18, and he will then return to Northampton ahead of the start of the Vitality Blast on May 30, with the North Group stage running until July 18.

The Hundred, which Willey is expected to be involved in although he was not selected in the original draft, then runs from August 5 to August 31

It means gaps in the diary for Willey to play red ball cricket are few and far between, but Lehmann is keen for him to do so if the opportunity presents itself.

"David Willey is playing a franchise model, and we have to support that," said the Northants head coach.

"They have pushed the PSL back to April, so he will not be back until a week before the Blast starts, so he won't be playing any early Champo cricket.

"Then he will have the Blast and then The Hundred, so our best hope is that we get him in at the back end, but that is just the new age cricketer isn't it?

"I would love to have David playing Championship cricket and we have spoken about it, but it is really about how it all tracks towards the end of the year, and how we as a team are tracking.

"All of our leaders and experienced players know they could be playing any format because we will be trying to pick the best side we can to represent the county every game."

That will be music to the ears of championship skipper Luke Procter, who could find himself more involved in white ball cricket having been used sparingly in both the T20 and 50-over teams under previous coach John Sadler.

Procter played a handful of 50-over matches in the past three years, featuring only once last summer, and hasn't played at all for the Steelbacks in a T20 match since the Covid-hit summer of 2020.

But Lehmann is setting his stall out from the word go that he will always play the strongest team available in all competitions, and that could mean players being involved in all three formats, when that may not have been the case in the past.

"It doesn't matter what format it is, we are going to be picking our best side," said Lehmann.

"Those guys that are leading the different formats (Willey, Procter, Lewis McManus), that won't change and we will keep that.

"When you come in you can change too many things, and I want to see how it works. Sometimes, it's not broken, it just needs a little rewiring.

"So we are going to entrust our younger players, and trust the locals, and our three leaders may now play different formats.

"Last year they sort of didn't, but we will be picking our best side and whoever is in that then that is fine, and we could have three captains playing Championship cricket at the end."