Lancashire targeting red-ball success as squad depth gives Dane Vilas reason to be cheerful

Lancashire were depleted by injuries and England commitments in 2020 but are boosted by the return of Jimmy Anderson, Saqib Mahmood, and Matt Parkinson, and new arrivals Jackson Bird and Luke Wells

Lancashire captain Dane Vilas is in high spirits heading into the County Championship season and is targeting success in domestic cricket’s "hardest" competition.

The Red Rose county are in Group Three of the newly structure red-ball competition alongside Yorkshire, Glamorgan, Kent, Sussex, and Northants, and will be keen to put the disappointments of last season behind them. After winning Division Two in 2019, Lancashire won just two of their five matches in the Bob Willis Trophy as a mounting injury list and England commitments left them with a depleted and youthful squad.

However, following a productive pre-season and the return of several key players, Vilas is full of confidence heading into Thursday’s season opener against Sussex.

"We want to compete in every format we play in but this [the County Championship] is the really important competition for us, and the guys are excited and keen to do well," he said. "We’ve got some exciting players who are playing some good cricket and are at good stages in their careers and can kick on as first-class players.

"It’s going to be tough, there’s some very good teams and we’ve got some good teams in our group. Every player will tell you this is the hardest competition to win or do well in. You have to play well for six months to do that and when you look back in September and know you’re up there, it’s hugely rewarding. That’s definitely the target for us.

^{Lancashire celebrate a wicket in 2020}

"We’ve had a great pre-season. I don’t think it could have gone any better so we’re very happy. Everyone’s fit and firing and ready to go!"

And it’s not just Lancashire’s captain who’s feeling positive - former England opener, Keaton Jennings, is full of the joys of spring despite the snow falling at Emirates Old Trafford.

"It’s quite exciting to have a season that going to go ahead, and you know you’re going to play 14 games and 16 T20 games and other white-ball cricket, and all the guys are up for it," said Jennings. "There’s a really good vibe around at the minute."

Lancashire head into their home clash against Sussex with only pace bowler Richard Gleeson (back) and top-order batsman Luke Wells (hamstring) on their short-term injury list. The club also have Jimmy Anderson at their disposal for a couple of matches – his availability is yet to be determined by the ECB – while Australian pace bowler Jackson Bird will join the county ahead of their away trip to Kent on a six-match contract.

"It’s really tricky to pick a team but that’s a good problem to have," said Vilas. "We had similar problems in 2019. We had bowler’s fit, firing and ready to go and we had to leave guys out, so we’re in a similar position now which is good to have. It just shows how good our squad is and the depth we’ve got."

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One area where the club struggled last season was with the ball, with only Tom Bailey (13) and Danny Lamb (12) recording double-figure hauls. However, Vilas doesn’t foresee that being a problem in 2021, lauding the wealth of bowling talent at the county and singling out Bird and returning England international Matt Parkinson for success.

"We’ve got all of our bases covered, it’s hard to pick just four seamers and a spinner!" he said. "We’ve got lots of back-up and lots of competition for places which is good.

"Matt Parkinson has had the best pre-season out of everyone, he’s been away with the best players in the world, and it’s been good for him, he’s worked really hard. He’s keen to play and just seeing him in the net, he’s bowling really well.

"Jackson Bird is a quality bowler; he’s got a great record and we need that type of bowler. Looking at our wickets and looking at our squad, we know it’s going to be a hard slog to get 40 wickets and it’s going to be a long season. But it’s great. There’ll be shivers down some of the opposition when you’ve got guys like Jimmy and Jackson, and Tom Bailey who’s bowling as well as he’s ever bowled, Saqib, Tommy Hartley – we’ve got a huge amount of depth."

Focussing on 29-year old seamer, Bailey, he continued: "Bails has been fantastic for us – his work ethic and how he’s led the attack. He’s bided his time and learned from Chappy [Glen Chapple], Jimmy, and Bunny [Graham Onions], and now he’s leading the attack and getting better and better.

"He’s flown under the radar because he’s not a flair bowler, he just bowls and takes wickets and doesn’t go for too many runs. He bowls the hard overs, and he bowls a lot of them which is great for me as a captain as I can rely on him."

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However, despite the return of several senior faces, Vilas insists Lancashire’s young guns – including last season’s debutants Tom Hartley, George Balderson, George Lavelle, Jack Morley, Ed Moulton and George Burrows – would continue to have opportunities this season.

"I think there’ll be quite a lot of changes," Vilas said. "The Hundred comes in, so that opens a window for four or five spots straight away for the younger guys to come in and hone their skills.

"There’s huge competition for places in the four-day stuff and in the T20 because the guys proved themselves last year. They put their hands up, they know what they can do, and we know what they can do. No one is guaranteed a spot; you’ve got to work for it all the time and the best players will play."

^{A selection of Lancashire's seamers: Jackson Bird, Jimmy Anderson and Tom Bailey}

Jennings was also full of praise for Lancashire’s bowlers, pinpointing fast bowler Saqib Mahmood as one to watch: "We’ve got a really good attack that can take 20 wickets on any surface. Saqib and Bails bowled at me [on Tuesday] and they were absolutely fantastic, they’re both hot and they bowled really well.

"Saqib bowled really well in the warm-up games. He’s not played a huge amount yet but the more he plays, the more savvy he will be. There’s a huge amount of experience for him to learn from in and around the squad."

With the bat, Lancashire failed to score a century last season, while only two players – Alex Davies and Josh Bohannon – surpassed 250 runs. However, Jennings has faith in both his opening partnership with wicketkeeper Davies and new signing Luke Wells to turn this around.

"[Me and Alex] know each other’s games. We’ve played with each other for the last three or four years and we know what makes each other tick," he said. "The way Davies plays and the way I play are very different, so we complement each other. I hope it’s a really good partnership this year and we can get the lads off to some good starts and build a big platform for the guys walking in after us.

"Wellsy is a cricketer who has played a huge amount of cricket at the top of the order and he’s got that experience. He’s added a huge amount of value to the guys already."

Jennings, himself, will be hoping for a prolific season with the bat after scoring just 182 runs in five appearances last season, particularly with the Ashes tour at Christmas offering him an opportunity to add to his 17 England Test caps. However, the 28-year old maintains he is focused solely on Lancashire’s success.

"Runs are the currency all batters deal in and the priority for me is to score runs and win games for Lancashire, that’s priority number one," he said. "Nothing internationally is guaranteed. I love playing for Lancashire and I want to make sure I’m winning games for Lancashire."

Aside from England selection, the other potential distraction for Vilas’s squad is this summer’s The Hundred, with several Lancashire players involved. But the South African is confident his side will maintain their composure.

"It’s exciting for them but we’re fortunate that we’re a county who competes in all formats, so we’re used to chopping and changing and getting our minds right," Vilas said. "And, we do have a big squad, so we do have opportunities for guys to fill gaps and put their hand up to push for first-team honours.

"Everybody is just desperate to get out and play. It’s the start of the season and The Hundred is a long way away. We’re focused on getting out and playing our five four-day matches."

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