Changing of the guard for Steelbacks

The Steelback soldier, a nod to the former Northamptonshire regiment, will be visible on players' chests in one-day formats

Northamptonshire have unveiled a new Steelbacks logo to tie in with the restructuring of the English limited-overs domestic game.

The overhaul, which coincides with the formation of the Friends Provident t20 and ECB 40 League in 2010, is the first time Northants have revamped their one-day logo since franchise names were introduced in 1999.

The county's ‘Steelbacks’ moniker refers to the Northamptonshire Regiment, an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1960, which is now part of the Royal Anglian Regiment.

Northants cricket sales manager Andrew Crook said: “Everyone at Northants is excited about the new era of Twenty20 cricket. To mark this, we decided the logo needed a complete overhaul to help bring the club to the fore of the limited-overs game.

“We are proud to be called the Steelbacks, a name that comes from an historic Northamptonshire Army regiment and the new logo brings the Steelbacks into the modern era.

“We are looking forward to mustering that same level of fighting spirit as we once again battle for t20 glory in 2010.”