Josh Cobb has departed Northamptonshire with one year remaining on his contract after coach John Sadler removed him as T20 captain last summer without prior consultation.
Cobb stated that Sadler’s decision to name David Willey captain two weeks prior to the start of the Blast season, after Willey had served as captain for four years, “blindsided” him. At the time, he wrote on social media, “I am both shocked and disappointed to be relieved of my captaincy duties so close to the Blast’s launch.”
Having amassed 76 runs in seven innings during the Blast, his performance deteriorated, and he was declared unnecessary for the duration of the Royal London Cup and the latter part of the County Championship season. June 9 marked his final first-team appearance of the summer.
Cobb, 33, has made the decision to pursue an alternative professional trajectory in 2024. “Cobb has voluntarily left the club prior to the expiration of his current contract, enabling him to explore cricketing prospects elsewhere,” a club statement from Northamptonshire read.
Cobb’s performance in the Blast final against Durham in 2016 (80 off 48 balls) was the pinnacle of the club’s nine seasons with Northants. It helped the team win the tournament for the second time in four years. After taking 4 for 22 in Leicestershire’s 2011 victory over Somerset, he was named player of the match in the Blast final for the second time in his career.
Cobb was acquired by the Northants prior to the 2015 season as a component of a recruitment strategy built on data, which served as the foundation for their remarkable Twenty20 achievements amidst a phase of financial hardship. He departs as the Blast’s second-leading run scorer in the tournament’s annals, trailing only his predecessor as T20 captain, Alex Wakely.
“I have loved my time at the club,” Cobb said. “Winning the T20 Blast in 2016 is one of the highlights of my career so far and I hope the club can return to those glory days in the future. I’d like to thank the club, staff, my teammates and of course the fans for all their support over the years.”
“On behalf of everyone at the club I’d like to wish Josh all the best for the future,” Ray Payne, Northants’ chief executive, said. “We’re grateful for his service as both a player and a leader as our white-ball captain during his eight years at the club”.
“I have loved my time at the club,” Cobb said. “Winning the T20 Blast in 2016 is one of the highlights of my career so far and I hope the club can return to those glory days in the future. I’d like to thank the club, staff, my teammates and of course the fans for all their support over the years.”
“On behalf of everyone at the club I’d like to wish Josh all the best for the future,” Ray Payne, Northants’ chief executive, said. “We’re grateful for his service as both a player and a leader as our white-ball captain during his eight years at the club”.
