Keaton Jennings bidding to lead Lancashire to success on three fronts

The England international leads the Red Rose across four-day, one-day and T20 formats, replacing South African wicketkeeper Dane Vilas who stepped down after four years in the role.

No stranger to taking charge, the opening batter led them to the Royal London One Day Cup final in Vilas’ absence last year, when his side lost to Kent by 21 runs.

“I’m a big believer in people leading their own space and own environment,” said Jennings.

“The more leaders you have, the easier it is to manage and grow.

“The captain makes the decisions on the field but if guys are managing themselves, it’s an easy job.”

English cricket’s nearly men last year, Lancashire finished second in all three domestic competitions but the new skipper looks back on that campaign with pride.

“You think we were hurt by coming second but it was a really successful season,” he said. “Coming second means you’ve given yourself a chance to win three competitions.

“The lads shouldn’t be afraid of winning. We should be proud of where we are and really embrace it.”

Jennings’ impressive 2022 form, which saw him score 1,233 First-Class runs at an average of 72.53, earned him a first England Test call-up since 2019 for their tour of Pakistan but the former Durham man failed to make an appearance in the 3-0 series triumph.

With a highly-anticipated Ashes series this summer, Jennings is fully focused on playing for his county.

“I’ve not got an eye on the Ashes squad at all, to be honest. It’s not guaranteed for me,” he said.

“I’ll be focused on scoring runs for Lancashire, winning games and making sure the environment is in a really good place.”

Jennings was the top scorer in last season’s County Championship and Lancashire begin their quest for an elusive 10th title at home to champions Surrey at Emirates Old Trafford this Thursday.

“Regardless of who is going for the title, it’s a really big game,” Jennings said. “It’s two really high-quality sides, so it will be really good to watch.”