Jake Lehmann signed a two-year deal with Hampshire in a quest to win more trophies before his career finishes
Jake Lehmann says the decision to sign a full-time contract with English side Hampshire was driven by a desire for more team success and the chance to spread his cricket knowledge to the next generation.
County Championship side Hampshire announced they’d signed Lehmann as a local player in December, tying the veteran batter to the club for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
Lehmann qualifies as a local player due to his British mother’s passport, meaning the county can sign other international players, such as Michael Neser and South African Kyle Abbott, who are also locked in for 2026.
In a strange quirk, it means Lehmann will play for South Australia next season as an ‘overseas’ player, despite boasting one of the most famous surnames in the state’s history.
“It’s an opportunity that I’ve been looking at for the last couple of years,” Lehmann told the Unplayable Podcast, having previously had shorter stints with Lancashire and Yorkshire.
“For me, to continue to play cricket and continue to branch out and try new things (was the motivation) … I want to keep learning and keep growing and keep spreading my love for the game of cricket while it’s going well.”
Turning 34 in July, Lehmann’s past two seasons in the Sheffield Shield have been his strongest, with six of his 15 Shield centuries coming since the start of the 2024-25 summer.
That included a run of four straight matches where he scored a hundred, the third of which was last year’s Shield final.
The left-hander hit 102 in the first innings of South Australia’s drought-breaking win and was the only batter from either side to make more than 50 in the first innings.
But that silverware has Lehmann desperate for more and he’s got his eyes on the County Championship title, a prize that ‘Hants’ haven’t won since 1973.
“I want to make Hampshire a better team, first and foremost,” Lehmann said.
“And the goal is to keep winning stuff. At my age now, what drives me is trying to win County Championships, the One-Day Cup, the (T20) Blast or Sheffield Shields.
“That’s what I’ve turned my focus to, trying to win as many games as I can.
“What do you remember players for? It’s probably the players that win stuff (that) get recognised the most at the back end of their career, once they’re gone.
“And on the flip side of that, hopefully I can learn some stuff that they do over there a little bit different to what the SACA do, and hopefully I can bring that back here and implement that so it makes South Australia a better cricket team when I get back.”
Lehmann’s father Darren, the former Test cricketer and national coach, will once again mentor the Northamptonshire side in the second division.
But given Hampshire are in Division One, the father and son won’t meet on match day unless their sides meet in the finals of the One-Day Cup or the T20 Blast.
Check out the full interview with the 2026 men’s domestic cricketer of the year, Jake Lehmann, on the Unplayable Podcast now.
Sheffield Shield 2025-26 standings
Team
Matches played
M
Wins
W
Losses
L
Drawn
D
No results
N/R
Deductions
Ded.
Batting Bonus
Bat
Bowling Bonus
Bowl
Total points
PTS
1
VIC
8
6
2
0
0
0
7.46
7.3
50.76
2
QLD
8
3
3
2
0
0
8.18
6.2
34.38
3
SA
8
3
2
3
0
0
4.83
7.6
33.43
4
TAS
8
3
3
2
0
2
3.73
6.5
28.23
5
NSW
8
2
3
3
0
0
5.93
6.9
27.83
6
WA
8
1
5
2
0
0
1.99
7.2
17.19
Legend
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
D: Drawn
N/R: No results
Ded.: Deductions
Bat: Batting Bonus
Bowl: Bowling Bonus
PTS: Total points
