Bowlers toil as Northants dominate first day
Today's match report presented by C&C Insurance Brokers
A superb century by Saif Zaib and a vital 92 from James Sales helped put Northamptonshire into the strong position of 355 for five against Lancashire after being put in to bat on the opening day of this Rothesay County Championship Division Two match at Emirates Old Trafford.
It proved to be an excellent day with the bat for the visitors as Lancashire’s attack, featuring West Indies’ pace bowler Anderson Phillip for the first time this season along with loan signing John Turner, were made to work hard on a wicket not offering the bowlers much assistance.
Luke Procter made 64 and shared a century partnership for the third wicket with Sales during the first half of the day, and the latter then forged another excellent 97-run alliance with Saib Zaib for the fifth either side of tea.
Zaib reached his fourth first-class hundred from 149 balls (1 six, 14 fours) just before the close, ending the day unbeaten on 111 after forging another good partnership of 99 with Lewis McManus (40 not out).
After two poor batting performances last week against Kent, Northamptonshire must have feared a potential repeat when they were 54 for two just an hour into the opening day, seamer George Balderson having Ricardo Vasconcelos caught behind for 16 and George Bartlett falling lbw for the same score to a searing yorker from overseas quick Phillip during a lively early spell.
Visiting skipper Procter, who produced a typically calm and unhurried innings, found an ally in Sales and the pair staged a superb fightback either side of lunch with a mixture of solid defence and a number of attractive drives. Procter, who reached 5,000 runs for Northamptonshire in all forms of cricket during his innings, was the first to go to his half century from 107 balls with Sales taking a brisker 78 balls to arrive at the same landmark in a 104-run partnership across 29 overs.
It was loan signing Turner, handed his Red Rose debut cap at the start of play by James Anderson – before the news of Anderson’s impending knighthood broke – who made the breakthrough for Lancashire midway through the afternoon. The England fast bowler had made a tentative start earlier in the day but produced a much better sustained effort during his second spell and was rewarded when Procter gloved a leg side delivery to wicketkeeper Matty Hurst for 64.
Balderson backed that up by trapping Rob Keogh lbw for a duck in the next over to leave the visitors on 159 for four.
The day was in the balance at that point, but Sales and Saib Zaib responded with a good, positive partnership that added 75 in 17 overs by tea, with Zaib becoming the third Northamptonshire batter to post a half century soon after the break from 70 balls.
Just when a third first-class career century beckoned Sales departed eight runs short to an injudicious shot, aiming to hit Tom Hartley over the top but picking out Marcus Harris at wide mid-on instead.
Zaib, who pulled Phillip over square leg for six, and McManus negotiated the rest of the day – and the arrival of the new ball to leave Northamptonshire in excellent shape going into day two.
“The pitch offered quite a bit up top and we were hopeful that it would continue throughout the day, but obviously it flattened out a bit,” was John Turner’s assessment at the close of play.
“We stuck at it well, I thought,” he added. “The bowlers kept on running in, kept on asking the right questions, and kept on challenging the batsmen.
“I think we just needed to dry up the runs at the same time, make life a bit uncomfortable for them. We went to the short ball plan a few times and that didn't get us any wickets necessarily, but it did get the questions into the batsman's mind.
“We have to just keep plugging away and being consistent on one length. It's not quick by any means, but it's quick enough to score some runs. And there are enough balls in there that keep you interested. If you hit the deck hard, something will happen eventually.”
And Turner is delighted for the opportunity his loan signing brings.
“It's great to be here, see the environment and get the opportunity to play some red ball championship cricket,” he said.
“I haven't done a lot of that recently or throughout my career really. So it's about just trying to play as much as I can to progress my career and I just want to help teams win games.
“I'm really enjoying my time at Lancashire. It's a really massive club, obviously unbelievable history and heritage, and they've been really welcoming to me. So, so far, I've really enjoyed it.”
Ken Grime
Photos: Luke Adams, George Franks
