| LV= County Championship Division One, Kia Oval (day two) |
| Northamptonshire 351-9: Nair 144*, Taylor 66, Azad 48; Lawes 4-100, Overton 3-64 |
| Surrey: But to bat |
| Surrey 3pts, Northamptonshire 3pts |
| Match scorecard |
Title favourites Surrey had been held up by Karun Nair’s sensible unbeaten 144 and an 114-run eighth wicket stand with Tom Taylor on the Kia Oval, earlier than unhealthy mild and heavy rain arrived to additional frustrate the County Championship leaders.
Nair’s memorable hundred and Taylor’s punchy 66 from 77 balls took Northamptonshire to 351-9 within the 41.1 overs attainable on the second day of a match each groups are determined to win – the house facet as they search to carry off Essex’s problem and safe back-to-back titles and Northants as they attempt to pull off a miracle escape from relegation to Division Two.
Jamie Overton took two wickets in successive balls within the second over after lunch to dismiss Taylor and Ben Sanderson, leaving Northants on 307-9.
However with final man Jack White hanging on, and even managing one on-driven 4 off Tom Lawes, 31-year-old Nair produced some exceptional strokes to deliver Northants a valuable third batting bonus level, clinched when he slashed Lawes for a six and 4 from consecutive balls simply moments earlier than play was halted at 2:00pm.
Nair had additionally swung Lawes for an earlier six to extensive mid-wicket and there have been 22 fours in all in his magnificent 238-ball innings.
The gallant White remained 5 not out, and Surrey have a lot to do over the past two days of this recreation if, by some means, they’re to fabricate a ninth win of the season.
Former India Take a look at batsman Nair resumed on 51 in Northamptonshire’s in a single day 171-6 and initially batting remained a difficult proposition underneath gray clouds and with the Oval floodlights shining down as that they had finished all through day one.
Justin Broad cowl drove Lawes for 4 to begin brightly, however on 17 he fell to a exceptional reflex catch by wicketkeeper Ben Foakes.
Broad edged Lawes into the slip cordon and Overton, diving throughout in entrance of first slip from his place at second, might solely knock up the ball low to the turf as he tried to scoop up the possibility, however Foakes athletically accomplished the catch by grabbing it together with his proper glove.
It gave 20-year-old seamer Lawes his fourth wicket of the innings however, in the remainder of the morning session and regardless of the second new ball being instantly taken with Northants on 234-7, there was no additional pleasure for Surrey’s five-strong quick bowling assault.
Their finest alternative to separate the very good eighth-wicket partnership got here early on when Taylor had made only a single. Edging Lawes, he noticed Cameron Metal fail to carry on to a waist-high catch at third slip and it was to show extraordinarily pricey.
Overton, making an attempt to bounce out Taylor with the outdated ball, went for 17 in an over because the Northants paceman pulled him twice for 4 and, in between, additionally hooked him imperiously for six.
And, with Nair twice further cowl driving Lawes for 4, runs had been out of the blue beginning to come shortly regardless of the bowler-friendly circumstances.
Nor did the second new ball decelerate the scoring fee as Taylor reached his half-century from a glowing 55 balls and Nair on drove Worrall for 4 with the shot of the morning earlier than, on 99, clinching his sixteenth first-class hundred by upper-cutting the identical bowler over the slips for his seventeenth 4.
Northants lunched on 306-7 and, after Overton’s double strike with Taylor leg-before and Sanderson bowled off stump, the stage was left for Nair to tackle Surrey’s assault with startling outcomes, though on 131 he was dropped low down by Ryan Patel diving ahead at deep mid wicket off Overton.
Report provided by ECB Reporters’ Community.