Opening batter Keaton Jennings has stepped down from his role as Lancashire's red-ball captain with immediate effect after the side slipped to bottom of the Division Two standings following their loss to Northants in the most recent round of fixtures.
Having been relegated from Division One last year after a disastrous campaign, Lancashire have yet to register a win this season. Their first four fixtures ended in draws, but having been in a strong position in Northampton last week, they collapsed from 227-4 to 276 all-out in their first innings. They were then bowled out for 165 in their second innings, consigning them to a 70-run defeat.
As a result of that loss, they now sit eighth out of the eight teams in Division Two on 50 points, one point adrift of seventh-placed Gloucestershire. Those two sides are also the only two sides in the division who are yet to register a win so far this season.
Bottom of Division Two after five matches, Keaton Jennings has stepped down as Lancashire’s red-ball captain.
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) May 13, 2025
Marcus Harris has been named as the club’s interim captain for the rest of the County Championship season.#countycricket2025 pic.twitter.com/jVY3AwO0rn
A day after the defeat to Northants, Lancashire announced that Jennings, who joined them from Durham in 2017, was stepping down as red-ball captain. Jennings recently signed to play for the red rose county for another five years, and has led the side since 2023. Australian overseas player Marcus Harris will step in as captain on an interim basis, and will be supported by vice-captains Josh Bohanon, as well as James Anderson on his return from injury. Jennings will continue to lead the team in the T20 Blast.
While there has been speculation over whether head coach Dale Benkenstein will also step aside, no announcement has been made indicating his departure. Benkenstein was appointed to his role ahead of the 2024 season, moving over from Gloucestershire – who finished the 2023 season under Benkenstein at the bottom of the Division Two standings having not won a match. After 19 matches in charge of Lancashire, Benkenstein has presided over just three red-ball wins, as well as two disappointing white-ball campaigns in 2024.
For a club with Lancashire's status as one of the oldest first-class clubs in England, with nine County Championship titles – the most recent of which came in 2011 – being officially ranked as the worst county in England is a historic low.
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