Keaton Jennings interview July 2021

Neil Whitaker Interview

LANCASHIRE opener Keaton Jennings who hit his second Roses century of the season says he is enjoying his life and lifestyle in Manchester.

The 29 year old left Durham after the 2017  season to join Lancashire in a bid to regain his England place after his test form plummeted against South Africa in 2016 and was dropped.  Jennings had been called into the England side the previous winter to replace the injured Haseeb Hameed.

He said: "I've enjoyed moving down here. I feel  like it's become home for me, and pretty quickly. When I signed, I settled in quickly and the people made me feel welcome. I've loved the life in around Manchester, so both on and off the field it  has been fantastic. Hopefully I can keep going and make the next 10 years or so a success.”

When he scored his second century of the season against Yorkshire he became a member of 13 players who have scored two centuries against Yorkshire in the same season.  The last Lancashire player to do that was Haseeb Hameed.  Jennings’ first one at Emirates Old Trafford in May ensured that the red rose would win the match, which they did by an innings and 79 runs.  That meant if they qualified for the next stage, which they have, they would carry forward 11 points and Yorkshire would carry .5 off a point.  His second ensured that Lancashire shouldn't lose and be favourites to win the Bob Willis trophy

He said: "It's a strong group we have, and by the way we're setting up a successful group. Hopefully we can we keep striving and win some trophies. I’ve sensed the vibe of success for a couple of years. There seems to be a really nice blend of young guys and experience. Even within the coaching staff, there's a lot of guys who have played with and against a lot of the playing group. To be in and around this environment, it's high performance and the guys' levels as a whole have been fantastic. 

Not that fitness is an indication of performance, but it does show the desire we have. It's unbelievable. You have seven guys running sub seven minutes for a 2km time trial. The guys are pushing each other and want to get better, which is a sign of a high class environment.

We said at the start of the game that this game is the start of the next round of the competition. Both sides are going through, so we know we have to be clinical all the way through. We have to make sure the next 22 days of cricket are high intensity and we have to be on it.”