Lancashire captain Jennings stands down after bad start

Lancashire won only three times in the County Championship last season under Keaton Jennings as they were relegated from Division One

Lancashire batter Keaton Jennings has stood down as captain of the side in the County Championship.

His announcement came shortly after the club put out a statement apologising to fans for their poor start to the season, which sees them sit bottom of Division Two after the opening five matches of the campaign.

The Red Rose county were relegated last season and, after four draws to begin the year, they lost this week to Northamptonshire at the County Ground.

Australian batter Marcus Harris, 33, has taken over as interim captain.

Former England player Jennings, who will continue to lead the side in the T20 Blast, had led Lancashire across all formats since 2023 and signed a new five-year deal in December last year.

"This has not been an easy decision, however after reflection and conversations with the management, I believe the team will benefit from a change of captaincy," the 32-year-old told the club website.

"My passion and commitment to serving Lancashire has not and will never change. Our current position in the table is not reflective of our commitment as a team and club to winning."

Performance director Mark Chilton said Jennings had given "total commitment" to the role.

He added that they hoped veteran former England bowler James Anderson, 43, who has not played this year because of a calf injury, could return to add "vast experience and leadership into the side".

'Being bottom of Division Two is not acceptable'

Lancashire's defeat by Northamptonshire this week saw them slump to the bottom of Division Two

Earlier on Tuesday, Chilton and board member John Abrahams said sorry to members and other supporters for their slow start to the 2025 campaign.

"We are all desperately disappointed with the start to the season over the last six weeks and acknowledge that our current form has not been good enough," Chilton told the club website.

"The coaching staff and players are working extremely hard to turn things around, and we expect to see improvement and progress in the coming weeks, starting with the game starting on Friday against Derbyshire.

"Being bottom of Division Two is not acceptable and we have critical work to do over the coming days to get back on track, and we will make necessary changes to enable us to do this."

Abrahams added that the board are behind head coach Dale Benkenstein and his staff, but that measures are being taken to try to improve results, including player recruitment.

"We want members to know that the club will do whatever the cricket department needs to effect change quickly," said Abrahams.

"We continually look at different ways we can improve the squad, whether that be loan or permanent additions.

"We are also working closely with the grounds team to look at how we can perform better at Old Trafford, having experienced the challenging conditions to bowl teams out twice."