Northeast 'Excited' By Lions' One-Day Series

Sam Northeast is 'excited' to be able to turn his attentions to the Lions' one-day series against West Indies A, after a whirlwind few days. 

The 28-year-old finalised a move to Hampshire at the end of February, and was then fast tracked onto a flight to Antigua for the final "Test", following an injury to Essex's Dan Lawrence.

Fully acclimatised, Northeast hopes to take the opportunity given to him when the series begins on Tuesday and said: "It has been a busy few days. Flying out early probably wasn't the ideal preparation but it is good to be out here and play some cricket. 

"It has been a long cold winter back at home and I am looking forward to the one-day series getting started. 

"We want to put the Test series behind us and we put it to bed after the final match and now our focus is fully on what is ahead. 

"It is a great opportunity for me personally, but we also have a really good squad of players here and obviously some new faces have freshened things up again, so it has reenergised the whole group." 

Having travelled to Antigua with Kent in January last year for the Super 50 Cricket Festival, Northeast has the knowledge and experience that could be useful to his peers. 

"I have been offering a few tips to the players when they have asked," he added. "But the coaching staff and squad have a wealth of knowledge as well. Many of them have played here over the years, so I am sure they are fully aware of what to expect.

"It has been a trial by spin most of the tour already, and I would imagine that will continue, so we will prepare accordingly."

The final "Test" was played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, but the Lions now head to the Coolidge Cricket Ground for the three day/night one-day matches against West Indies A. 

Northeast believes it is a brilliant ground for limited-overs cricket and concluded: "It is a great place to play one-day cricket. It is smaller than the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium and the pitch is a bit flatter, so it does set up well for white-ball matches.

"With it being in the hustle and bustle of the City Centre as well, there is always a good atmosphere with the crowds coming in during the evening and enjoying the cricket under lights. 

"It is usually a good batting wicket as well, so hopefully we can play some entertaining and high quality cricket and get the series off to a good start." 

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