O'Brien ready to join all-round club

Niall O'Brien is preparing to be Northants' creative hub

When the Twenty20 Cup exploded into English cricket’s consciousness in 2003, it was loveably dismissed as a bit of knockabout fun.

Try telling that to Niall O’Brien. Leicestershire Foxes are the only side to have won the competition twice, and en-route to their second victory in 2006, they thrashed O’Brien’s Kent Spitfires by nine wickets in the quarter-finals.

“It was very disappointing,” O’Brien told ecb.co.uk.

“It would have been brilliant to get to the semi-finals, but it just didn’t happen. But since then I’ve grown in love with Twenty20.”

Now 130 miles north-west at Wantage Road, O’Brien believes Northamptonshire Steelbacks have the ingredients to emulate his former colleagues, who lifted the cup last year by beating Gloucestershire Gladiators.

Kent's 2006 defeat at Grace Road was O'Brien's last appearance in the Twenty20 Cup, as Northants preferred to entrust Riki Wessels with the gloves in last year's competition.

Northants have never made it to finals day in the five-year history of the Twenty20 Cup, but O’Brien feels the side’s upward form and mix of all-round cricketers can put an end to that.

After a slow start in the LV County Championship and elimination from the Friends Provident Trophy, Northants have had two resounding victories in the four-day game.

“Our strength is that we have a lot of all-rounders, and we all know the value of that in Twenty20,” O’Brien says.

“Nicky Boje, Lance Klusener, Johann Louw, there are others as well. They can bat pretty much anywhere. Playing six or seven bowlers doesn’t necessarily weaken our batting.

O'Brien has established himself as a free-scoring opener in championship and one-day cricket

“We’ve got some big hitters of the ball and some very good all-rounders.

“We all have our own jobs to do, but in Twenty20, the game is very flexible.

“Things can change very quickly. Players have to be prepared to bowl when they don’t expect to, and bat when they’re not expected to, and I think we’re one of the best counties who can adapt to that challenge.”

It is unlikely O’Brien will be called upon to turn his arm over, but the bracket of all-round cricketers at Northamptonshire now definitively includes him.

After playing a largely peripheral role last year, the 26-year-old Irishman has supplanted Wessels behind the stumps, and forged a spot opening the batting in all forms of cricket for Northants.

O’Brien admits he was slightly surprised to be bestowed with dual responsibilities, but coach David Capel’s decision has paid off handsomely thus far.

O’Brien has scored 301 runs in six LV County Championship innings at an average of over 50, including a fabulous 108 from 159 balls in Northants’ innings-victory over Glamorgan.

The Steelbacks were also edged out of the Friends Provident Trophy by Leicestershire, but that was no fault of O’Brien, who plundered 95 against the Foxes and 75 against his native Ireland.

“I was a little bit surprised to be given both roles. I’ve opened in youth cricket in Ireland, but it was a bit of an experiment.

O'Brien trudges off as Darren Maddy hits the winning runs for Leicestershire in 2006

“Opening is the best place to bat. Now I get the chance to face the new ball and try and set the game up.

“It’s normally quite difficult opening the batting and keeping wicket but it’s worked out well so far. While the runs are flowing I’m more than happy to do it.

“I don’t think my keeping’s suffered either. I’ve been generally been keeping wicket very well.

“It’s just important to maximise rest and downtime when I do get the opportunity to relax.”

O’Brien has established himself as an aggressive left-handed opener alongside the more experienced Stephen Peters, and the Dubliner sees no reason to change his style for Twenty20.

“I’m aggressive in all forms of cricket, when you see it, hit it hard and straight. But it’s important to get yourself in.

“People work on specific skills, and it’s important for players to stick to their strengths, whether that’s reverse-sweeping, nurdling, or hitting the ball out of the park.

“Me and Steve are good friends, we play golf together and all that sort of thing.

“We’re nice and relaxed in the middle. We’re very different players, but complement each other well with the right and left-hand combination.”

O’Brien is also well aware of the increased responsibility when given the gloves in Twenty20.

“In Twenty20 the best fielding team usually wins the game, and wicketkeepers set the standard in the field.

“When I was at Kent I only batted a few times in Twenty20 because I was down the order, but now there’s a chance of me doing both, which I’m relishing."