Yorkshire will look to make it two wins from two, both on the road, as they make their way to Northampton this week in their second match of the 2022 campaign after a strong start against Gloucestershire in their first-round match. The Yorkshire faithful will be filled with confidence after what turned out to be a relatively comfortable win in Bristol, finishing the job with 6 wickets in hand and 71 deliveries to spare.
Northamptonshire fans, on the other hand, may have been left with a mix of feelings after their clash with Gloucestershire ended in a draw in which they fell 27 runs short but lost 8 wickets in the final innings. The main positives came in the form of Rob Keogh who scored 187 runs across his two innings including an impressive century, and former Yorkshire bowler Ben Sanderson who claimed 9 wickets at just under 15 runs a piece. It’s fair to say Sheffield man will be eager to repeat that performance against the county that released him in 2011.
The big news out of Headingley this week is the confirmation that Dimuth Karunaratne has signed to play for the White Rose after weeks of speculation, although disappointingly for many Yorkshire fans his stint will span just three County Championship fixtures. The Sri Lankan left hander will likely slot straight into the Yorkshire opening duo alongside long-time Yorkshire opener Adam Lyth.
Key Players
Yorkshire – one might be accused of choosing the easy option in selecting Karunaratne as the player to watch this week, but there will be many eyes on the Sri Lankan batsman who’ll be looking to demonstrate why he’s spent almost a decade playing for his national team at the highest level. Karunaratne will hope his County Championship debut is slightly different to his Test debut – he opened that account with a 3-ball duck back in 2012.
Northamptonshire – captain Ricardo Vasconcelos opened his second innings against Gloucestershire with some stylish strokes, but despite four early boundaries only managed 26. He’s played 12 innings since his last first-class 50, although that came against Yorkshire in the same fixture last year and so Vasconcelos will be hoping for at least a repeat.
Team news
Yorkshire squad – Steven Patterson (c), Dom Bess, Harry Brook, Harry Duke (wk), Matthew Fisher, George Hill, Dimuth Karunaratne, Tom Loten, Adam Lyth, Dawid Malan, Haris Rauf, Matthew Revis, Jordan Thompson, James Wharton.
For Northants, overseas players Matt Kelly and Will Young will make their debuts.
Northamptonshire squad – Ricardo Vasconcelos (c), Gareth Berg, Josh Cobb, Emilio Gay, Matt Kelly, Rob Keogh, Simon Kerrigan, Lewis McManus (wk), Luke Procter, Ben Sanderson, Tom Taylor, Will Young, Saif Zaib
Weather and Conditions
It’s the epitome of English Spring in Northampton for this fixture – clouds, showers, and a bit of sun. The first day looks bright and dry with the inclemency forecast later in the fixture, the first day should offer runs although partial cloud cover might offer a bit for the bowlers early on.
Odds (Sky Bet): Northants – 13/8, Yorkshire – 4/9
