Ben McDermott is back in the Vitality Blast – only this time the Australian keeper-batter will be wearing Lancashire red rather than Hampshire yellow. The 29-year-old has agreed to play the entire group phase, from 26 May to 18 July, filling one of Lancashire’s two overseas slots alongside off-spinner Chris Green.
First, the essentials. McDermott piled up ten half-centuries in 43 innings during three seasons with Hampshire between 2022 and 2024, including that match-winning 62 in the 2022 final when Hampshire pipped Lancashire off the last ball – a finish the beaten side still reckon went the wrong way because of an umpiring slip. He skipped the Blast last summer, but Lancashire’s director of cricket, Mark Chilton, admitted the club have been tracking him ever since.
“Ben is a very versatile batter in T20 cricket,” Chilton said. “He’s done a lot of batting in the top three during his career, but in more recent times he’s dropped into a No. 4 or 5 role, with a strong record against spin. Availability was another key parameter for us, and Ben being around for the whole competition meant that he was ticking a lot of boxes and was right at the top of our shortlist.”
International clashes – England play India in June and July – often strip Lancashire of Liam Livingstone, Jos Buttler and co at the back end of the Blast, so the county have gone for the safe option of two Australians who are unlikely to disappear mid-tournament. McDermott adds keeping cover as well.
“The Blast is a competition I’ve always enjoyed during my previous spells in England with Hampshire… I’m excited to get over to Manchester, meet the lads and play my part in what I hope will be a really successful season for us in T20 cricket,” McDermott said.
Lancashire’s wider winter business has included seam pair Ajeet Singh Dale (from Gloucestershire) and Paul Coughlin (Durham), plus a fresh three-year deal for Livingstone once his central contract finished. On the coaching side, Kabir Ali has stepped up as men’s bowling coach after Craig White departed.
Glamorgan move for McAndrew
While Lancashire sharpen their top order, Glamorgan have bolstered their attack by snapping up Australian seamer Nathan McAndrew. The 30-year-old – he took 44 wickets for Sussex across the last three Blasts, including 6 for 21 and 5 for 19 in back-to-back games against Glamorgan last year – joins South African veteran Colin Ingram as the Welsh county’s second overseas player.
“Nathan has been one of the best performers in domestic cricket around the world over the last few years and we’re delighted that he’s able to join Glamorgan for a key period of the season,” director of cricket Mark Wallace said. “Having someone with his experience of county cricket is very important and we’re looking forward to welcoming him to Wales.”
McAndrew’s deal also covers two County Championship fixtures that fall within the T20 window – handy, given Glamorgan’s red-ball seam stocks have looked thin at times. The county have not reached Blast knock-out cricket since 2017, so new faces keep coming: top-order batter Sean Dickson has arrived from Somerset, and former Australia all-rounder Ian Harvey has accepted a full-time post as Richard Dawson’s assistant coach after a trial run last summer.
A lot still needs to click – Glamorgan’s death bowling was leaky and Lancashire’s middle overs were sometimes ponderous – but, on paper at least, both clubs will fancy they’ve addressed obvious gaps. The cricket does the talking soon enough.
