McSweeney to skipper Northants in One-Day Cup

Nathan McSweeney captained South Australia to victory in the 50-over Dean Jones Trophy final in March 2025 [Getty Images]

Australian batsman Nathan McSweeney will captain Northamptonshire Steelbacks in this season's One-Day Cup, head coach Darren Lehmann has confirmed.

The 27-year-old joined the county for the summer after leading South Australia to their second Sheffield Shield title in a row.

McSweeney has made a big impression at Wantage Road, scoring 589 runs in eight County Championship games, including three hundreds, and 127 in the T20 Blast.

Lehmann told BBC Radio Northampton: "He's a pretty astute captain and had a lot of success."

Northants will start their One-Day Cup campaign with a home game against Warwickshire on Tuesday 21 July.

Six players will miss the competition after signing contracts for The Hundred, including T20 skipper David Willey, seamer Ben Sanderson and all-rounder Saif Zaib.

"The great thing about that comp is it give young guys an opportunity so we're really looking forward to it," said Lehmann.

"We lose six guys to The Hundred, so that tests your squad depth, but that's fine."

Before that, Northants resume the T20 Blast on Friday as they look to maintain their 100% record in their first short-format game against Essex for 13 years.

"That'll be a great game, we're looking forward to a full house and getting into the razzmatazz of T20 cricket," Lehmann added.

The Steelbacks won the T20 Blast in 2013 and 2016 and reached Finals Day again last year before losing to Hampshire in the semi-finals.