Northants have revealed that they made an approach to former England all-rounder Chris Lewis in an attempt to lure him out of retirement.

The club are currently missing fast bowler Darren Cousins, who is likely to miss the remainder of the season with a foot injury.

"Chris was one of the options we looked at. Unfortunately we couldn't come to an agreement financially," admitted Northants' Director of Cricket, Bob Carter.

Lewis, who played 32 Tests and 53 One-Day Internationals for England, retired during the winter citing a long-term hip injury as the cause. But Carter believes that he could have still performed a valuable short-term role for Northants.

"I saw him bowling in a Masters game on television and he looked good," Carter continued. "But he would have needed to prove his fitness if we were going to take the thing further. In the event, it never came to that.

"At the end of the day we can look at a short-term signing or even at getting someone in on loan. But at the same time we have other bowlers at the club and it's a chance for them to show what they can do."

The club will be boosted by the news that John Blain will return from international day as part of Scotland's ICC Trophy squad.

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