New Lancashire captain Keaton Jennings admits Bazball isn’t always possible at county level

New Lancashire captain Keaton Jennings makes a metaphorical and perhaps literal case for the defense when asked if ‘Bazball’ is about to revolutionize the County Championship.

“In the first game we will be up against Kemar Roach, Dan Worrall and Sean Abbott with a brand new Dukes ball on what could be a difficult surface as Old Trafford has been flooded for the last three weeks,” Jennings said of the game. mouth watering today. opening game against champions Surrey.

“So I don’t think you can go and play the way you want. You have to judge the situation in front of you and play accordingly. There may be times when we need to solidify and others when we need to stand our ground. I’m in favor of reading the situation and handling it the way you have the best chance of winning.”

It’s a revealing look at arguably the biggest talking point at the start of a domestic season, when the English game is under threat from the franchises like never before.

Ben Stokes has made it perfectly clear he wants counties to follow his fearless lead and promote the ultra-attacking cricket that has transformed England’s Test side since taking over as captain at the start of last summer.

Jennings, who signed a one-year contract extension to stay with Lancashire Cricket at least until the end of the 2025 season, became the men’s 37th permanent captain earlier this year.

Ben Stokes has made it perfectly clear he wants counties to follow his fearless lead and promote the ultra-attacking cricket that has transformed England’s Test side

Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum are so determined to see their vision more widely implemented at the start of the red ball season that, Sportsmail understands, all 18 district directors of cricket have been told what is expected of them when their players play England want to represent. shortly.

Stokes’ determination to make the draw out of every Test comparison and risk losing in a bid to win and entertain is reflected in the new County Championship points award, with just five being awarded this year awarded for a draw, instead of eight.

But there are many who believe ‘Bazball’ is beyond some county players, with Surrey director of cricket and England legend Alec Stewart telling the BBC last week he is concerned that positivity is becoming reckless in the domestic game.

Jennings, who witnessed the best display of the Stokes-McCullum revolution yet as part of the England squad for the historic 3-0 win in Pakistan this winter, is another who has highlighted the difficulties of going all out on a wet April weekend in Manchester.

“It’s going to be an interesting dynamic,” said the man charged with turning most of Lancashire’s men into winners. “It’s one thing for boys to start playing positively when they’re picked for England, which is great.

“But if that doesn’t work, you need to reevaluate your game at the provincial level to find out what will work.” Boys are judged on the performance they have made for their province and nothing about that is guaranteed. Within that you have to find a way to achieve results.

“I’m sure we sometimes accelerate to force results, but I don’t think it’s as simple as always putting pressure on the opponent. There will be times in the season when a draw can still earn you the championship or move you up the rankings, so the structure you play in is completely different from international cricket. It will be interesting to see how it works out.”

Where Jennings, one of the brightest and deepest thinkers in the game and a man destined to enter administration when he retires, is aligned with Stokes in his desire for a team that finished runners-up last season in three competitions to have fun and play with smiles on their faces, as they attempt to climb the final hurdles and win silverware.

“I want to play hard, but I want to have fun,” said the captain who replaced Dane Vilas at the helm at Emirates Old Trafford.

“When you look at a sports career, it’s a limited time period and I want the guys to go out and express themselves. Paul Collingwood was big on this when I played under him at Durham. Let’s go out, play and have fun and see what kind of memories we can create. In general, happy people produce better results.’

Stokes (left) and coach Brendon McCullum (right) are determined to see their vision more widely implemented at the start of the red ball season

Where Jennings lines up with Stokes is his desire for a team that finished second in three leagues last season to enjoy themselves and play with a smile on their face.

Jennings, 30, will certainly be delighted if he can call on the best bowler in the world in Jimmy Anderson, who is expected to play in four of Lancashire’s early matches, starting in Essex next week, before leaving for Ashes duty.

“Jimmy terrorizes the boys indoors,” Jennings said. “I almost have to pinch myself that I can be captain of someone like him. Every time he returns to Lancashire he wants to win. We are so lucky to have him. The energy and passion he has for this club is really great.

‘When I was about 15 or 16 I would watch cricket at home with my boyfriend and we’d see Jimmy and have these theories on how to play him. Basically, we decided we should always line up like he was going to bowl an inswinger because then you would miss the outswinger, but I quickly found out he was much better than that.

“He can get past the wicket, give you a wobbly throw, whatever it is, but he judges the batter and the conditions so quickly and accurately that you have nowhere to go. When I finally met him in Southport for Durham, I held on all five balls. It’s great to be on the same side as him now.’