Rob Newton

Rob Newton's Northants career has seen him increasingly regarded as a first-class specialist, a rarity in a county that has made its mark with an impressive record in Twenty20. Newton was awarded a place at Northants' academy after gaining a reputation as a heavy run-scorer at Framlingham College in Suffolk, won England Under-17 recognition and steadily improved in each successive season until 2012, a summer in which he struck three first-class hundreds at an average of 44. Unfortunately for Newton, 2013 was a season of what could have been. After a bright start to the season, when 82 not out against Kent in a 40-over game, he tore his achilles when playing a sweep shot. After hitting the next ball for six, he was forced to retire hurt and have surgery, forcing him to miss the rest of the season. At the start of the 2014 season, he proved his mettle when he defied a cracked thumb in defying Durham's bowlers to save Northants' first Championship Division One fixture at Wantage Road since 2004. A maiden Championship double hundred, against Leicestershire, was the highlight of 2016 - a season in which he averaged more than 50 - and a strong finish to the season at the top of the order assured him of a new contract.
ESPNcricinfo staff