Nottinghamshire claim much-needed win at home of table-topping Bears

ECB Reporters Network03-Jun-2023Notts Outlaws heaved their staccato Vitality Blast campaign back into forward motion with a spectacular 11-run win over Birmingham Bears at run-soaked Edgbaston.Notts were put in by the top-of-the-table Bears but piled up an imposing 214 for 3. When two batters in the same innings reach half-centuries with their fifth six, things have not gone well for the opposition – so it was with Joe Clarke, 89 not out off 53 balls, and Colin Munro (87 off 43) as they pummelled the bowlers in a partnership of 122 from 68 balls.The remarkable Sam Hain then took his Blast run-tally this season to 303 with a superb unbeaten 97 off 52, but the Bears fell just short on 203 for 9.Notts will hope their third win in six games will be the start of a consistent run towards the quarter-finals. The Bears meanwhile, have faltered after a flying start. It has not been the homecoming Birmingham had in mind for Moeen Ali. They won four out of four before his return, since when they have lost two out of two – evidence, perhaps, for the case of ‘never change a winning team’.After choosing to bowl, the Bears soon removed Alex Hales, bowled by Henry Brookes with the ninth ball, but the brisk breakthrough simply opened the door to the onslaught. After a watchful start (Dan Mousley’s first two overs cost just five runs), Munro launched an offensive which silenced the big home crowd.He bashed Glenn Maxwell straight out of the attack with two sixes and two more sailed into the stands from what proved to be Danny Briggs’ only over. Maxwell, Briggs and Ed Barnard together bowled three overs for 49.It was thrilling hitting from Munro who was within sight of his sixth T20 century when he lifted Moeen to long-off in pursuit of his tenth six. That was the signal for Clarke, hitherto content to be the quiet partner, to attack. The former Rapids batter smote a Brookes full toss into the crowd to raise the Outlaws’ 200 and the innings closed on 214 with 13 fours and 16 sixes.Under intense scoreboard pressure, the Bears had to go hard from the off and they lost captain and vice-captain in the fourth over. Moeen and Alex Davies flailed off-side catches off Shaheen Afridi and then Maxwell skied a top-edged slog at Jake Ball.From a parlous 40 for 3, Hain and Mousley added 52 in six overs before the latter fell to a brilliant catch by Matt Montgomery, racing in and diving forward from deep point. That was from Calvin Harrison’s third ball. When the spinner’s 12th delivery bowled Chris Benjamin, the Bears’ hopes lay squarely with Hain. He batted magnificently but that scoreboard pressure – 59 needed from the last four overs – was too great.

Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe has termed his side’s preparations for the ODI series against Ireland less than ideal, referring to his team’s lack of practice time and access to the series venue, the Cloud County ground in Chelmsford.The series begins on May 9, with all three matches to be played in Chelmsford, a venue chosen by Cricket Ireland keeping in mind the chances of wet weather back in Ireland. Bangladesh landed in the UK on May 1, but they could only enter the match venue on May 8, the eve of the first ODI, since Chelmsford was hosting a County Championship game between Essex and Surrey from May 4 to 7.After arriving on May 1, Bangladesh had two training sessions in Cambridge before their practice match was washed out. They did a bit of indoor training at the Fenners facility before their May 7 session was called off due to a wet outfield. When asked about their preparation on Monday, Hathurusinghe didn’t mince his words.”It [preparation] is a unique situation,” he said. “We are playing Ireland in England. So normally it doesn’t happen too often. I can’t blame anyone. It is the first time. If we knew this is the case, we wouldn’t have agreed to this kind of schedule. This is not ideal preparation. I won’t blame anyone. We will learn from this one.”Hathurusinghe suggested that since conditions in Chelmsford would be dissimilar to those that are likely to be on offer during the Asia Cup and World Cup later this year, the Ireland series would be important for Bangladesh only in terms of results.”We are not going to play similar conditions in India,” he said. “We will concentrate to winning in these conditions. How we can play. We are not looking too much into the World Cup, in these conditions.”Bangladesh’s players and coaching staff got their first look at the Chelmsford pitch. “The wicket is very good. It is very hard underneath,” Hathurusinghe said. “It has a tinge of green on top but hard underneath. It was under covers for the last few days because of the rain. There was also [the county] match here till yesterday.”Hathurusinghe believes Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s emergence as a ‘genuine allrounder’ has given Bangladesh the option of playing an extra batter or bowler depending on conditions•AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi

Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s emergence as a batting force, Hathurusinghe said, was helping Bangladesh achieve better balance as a team, giving them the option of extending their batting or bowling depending on conditions.”He is a genuine batter with a Test and an ODI century,” he said. “We can treat him as a genuine allrounder. We have another genuine allrounder in Shakib Al Hasan. We are very fortunate with our combination. Extra batter or bowler, we will decide tomorrow morning.”Any coach would love to have this luxury. We are fortunate to have two genuine allrounders. Not many teams have that. We will definitely use it to our advantage.”He also looked forward to the likes of Towhid Hridoy, Rony Talukdar and Mrittunjoy Chowdhury gaining experience on their first tour with the senior team.”It is a good opportunity for [Rony and Hridoy] to understand that international cricket is played in all kinds of conditions. I hope they can prove to themselves that they can do the same thing [on their first tour].”[Mrittunjoy] would be a very effective bowler in these conditions. He has a really good wrist position. What I saw so far is encouraging.”

On-loan legspinner shines as Durham chip away on rain-shortened day

ECB Reporters Network10-Jul-2023

Gloucestershire 280 for 6 (Dent 85, Hammond 52, Parkinson 3-45) vs DurhamMatt Parkinson claimed three wickets to halt Gloucestershire’s progress on day one of their LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two clash against Durham at Seat Unique Riverside.Chris Dent impressed at the top of the order with a resolute knock of 85, while Miles Hammond offered a change of pace with a blistering fifty to steer the visitors to 170 for 2 before Parkinson led the Durham fightback.The legspinner removed Hammond, Grant Roelofson and James Bracey and Matthew Potts added the scalp of Dent to reduce Gloucestershire to 280 for 6 before rain brought a premature end to day one.Gloucestershire won the toss and elected to bat under the sun at Seat Unique Riverside. Potts and Ben Raine were on their mettle with the Kookaburra ball from the off against the visitors’ opening partnership of Dent and Ben Charlesworth, beating the bat on several occasions without reward in the first half hour. Potts’ persistence earned him the breakthrough with the wicket of Charlesworth, who clipped a tame drive straight to Parkinson at mid-on.The morning session belonged to Gloucestershire as Dent showed his class at the crease to fend off dangerous spells from Durham’s potent attack, featuring new signing Migael Pretorius. Dent and Ollie Price put on 66 and looked primed to take the visitors into lunch one down, but a lapse in Price’s concentration handed Pretorius his first Durham wicket.Dent had to wait until after the interval to score the single required to bring up his second fifty of the season, and his knock continued to provide a valuable foundation for the Gloucestershire innings. Whereas Dent was reserved in his approach, Hammond took the attack to the Durham bowlers after lunch. The right-hander launched back-to-back sixes into the leg-side boundary against Parkinson as he raced to fifty from 43 balls.But, Parkinson would halt his charge for 52 as Scott Borthwick claimed a brilliant catch over his head at cover, which changed the momentum of the session. Dent had frustrated Potts in the morning session and their duel continued into the afternoon before the England seamer produced a beauty to find his outside edge for an impressive 85.Roelofsen and Bracey pressed Gloucestershire to their first batting point, although both were then bowled by Parkinson to open up the tail for the home side. Zafar Gohar and Josh Shaw were left to rebuild the innings before rain ended the day with the visitors 20 runs shy of a second batting bonus point.

Despite the absence of Ashwin on the third day in Rajkot, India proceeded to seal their biggest Test win

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2024The message from Rohit Sharma and India’s team management to the bowling attack was to “stay calm” even as Ben Duckett countered them with a blistering century on the second day in Rajkot. Duckett’s wicket then hastened England’s collapse as they fell from 260 for 4 to 319 all out, in response to India’s first-innings 445. India’s bowlers triggered another England collapse in their second innings to seal a whopping 434-run victory and a 2-1 series lead.”When you’re playing Test cricket, it’s not played over two days or three days. We do understand the importance of extending the game for five days,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation. “They played well, to be honest, and played some really good shots. They put us under pressure a little bit there, but look we’ve got class in our squad, when it comes to bowling. Obviously, the message was to stay calm because when things like that happen, it’s actually easy to drift away from what you want to do as a team. But I’m really proud of how we came back the next day, stuck to what we discussed, and when those things happen, it’s a delight to watch.”Related

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• Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja star in India's biggest Test win by runs

After the second day’s play, India’s most experienced bowler R Ashwin was forced to leave Rajkot after a family emergency. Despite Ashwin’s absence on the third day – he rejoined the squad on the fourth – India proceeded to secure their biggest Test win, in terms of runs.”Lot of turning points. Once we won the toss…that was actually a good toss to win because we know in India, how important it is to win the toss and put runs on the board,” Rohit said. “And the lead that we got was very, very crucial for us. And the way we came out and bowled after that onslaught from the English batters was important for us to stay calm. The bowlers actually showed a lot of character and not to forget we didn’t have our most experienced bowler as well. But for this group to come out and get the job done in that fashion was really, really proud to watch.”Rohit said that promoting Ravindra Jadeja to No.5, ahead of debutant Sarfaraz Khan, was partly down to having a left-right combination in the middle. Rohit and Jadeja added a 204-run fourth-wicket partnership – the highest in the match – to lift India from 33 for 3. Both Rohit and Jadeja hit hundreds while Sarfaraz made a sparkling 62 off 66 balls.”Especially for this game, we thought he’s got so much experience playing this format,” Rohit said of Jadeja’s promotion. “He’s scored a lot of runs as well of late in the last couple of years. We always wanted that left-right batting as well. Sarfaraz being Sarfaraz we know the quality that he brings and we wanted him to just have some time before he gets into bat.”By no means it’s a long-term plan with the batting order; we just go by the flow – what we feel on that particular day or what is right for us in that particular Test match depending on the composition of the opposition as well. We try to calculate everything and then go with the flow.”Jadeja followed up his 112 with a match haul of seven wickets, including a five-for in the final innings, at his home ground. “I know about this wicket,” Jadeja said after collecting his Player-of-the-match award. “If we bat first, it’s always good to bat as the ball comes nicely onto the bat and in the second half it starts spinning. When Rohit won the toss, I was like ‘okay, this is what we wanted’.”On this wicket, you won’t get easy wickets because you have to work hard for it because this surface looks good to bat on and you need to work hard to get wickets. You can’t just bowl and get wickets easily. You have to earn the wicket.”

It was only as England were walking out to defend the 231 target they had set India in the first Test at Hyderabad that Ben Stokes informed Mark Wood he’d be opening the bowling, as he had done in the first innings. The catch? He would only be doing so for one over.Wood was not all that surprised. He was the only seamer in the attack, and bowled just two overs in his opening stint on day one. It was part of a broader plan concocted in the lead-up to the series to use the seamers as a point of difference. Wood’s extra pace and ability to reverse-swing the ball would be in bursts, with the spinners doing the bulk of the work.It was vindicated as England’s four spinners took 18 wickets in the match, with Tom Hartley starring with a match-winning 7 for 62. Wood admits the micro-spells – his eight second-innings overs were bowled in splits of one, three, three and one – took a bit of getting used to.”When we were at the ground, he said probably one or two,” Wood said on his instructions from Stokes. “I mean, I thought I may not even open the bowling second innings. But it was like ‘one over; that’s it’.”So that was a bit weird. Especially when the captain says you’re going to bowl one over with the new ball and it was a bit like, right, I’ll practice one over with the new ball.”Very rarely would you think you’d bowl one over and then be off. But weirdly I trust what he says. One over? Right, okay, I’ll give it everything for this over. And then he said ‘rest’ and I’m not annoyed. Like, I get it, we’re going to spin now. So it’s just a bit different.”Ben Stokes told Mark Wood he’d have one over to make an impact in the second innings•AFP

The Durham quick went wicketless, finishing with match figures of 0 for 62 from 25 overs. By contrast, India’s star quick Jasprit Bumrah took six wickets, including 4 for 41 in the second innings which featured a hellacious spell of reverse-swing.Nevertheless, Wood enjoyed the lone role, even if he missed the company of another seamer. And overall, he regarded it as a success given the bigger picture.”Bumrah didn’t do me any favours by bowling like a genius,” Wood said. “That was tough!”It was a bit odd, a bit weird at times. Usually at points during the game I’d think ‘I might bowl here’ but the spin is doing the damage.Related

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• Hartley's comeback embodies England's away win for the ages

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• A landmark Test for England, Pope, Hartley and reverse-sweeps

“I said to Jimmy [Anderson] that I found it more bizarre that I didn’t have anyone to talk to. I was sort of working it out as I went along. Usually if Jimmy is bowling a spell he can say to me ‘this worked well’, or ‘what about this?’ You are talking to the captain and not really knowing how it’s going to go.”It’s like, yes, that ball reversed, let’s try this, so that was probably the only thing that was different. I’m disappointed that I didn’t get any wickets but not really fussed, because the team played amazing. One of the great games that I’ve been involved in.”England will travel to Vizag on Tuesday 1-0 up ahead of the second Test which begins on Friday. Their last tour in 2021 also saw them take the lead before India switched up tactics and conditions, leaning hard on their superior spinners to eventually triumph 3-1.Rohit Sharma chats with R Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah while looking for wickets•BCCI

This time, however, they might go a different route. England effectively nullified Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, particularly in their second innings of 420 scored at over four an over. Wood anticipates a reaction from the hosts and believes the team are prepared for whatever comes next.”It could, yeah,” Wood replied, when asked if India might switch things up. “I don’t know what they will produce. India have got the potential to produce any wicket here. I’ve played in World Cup games and IPL games where it’s seamed, flat pitches, spinning wickets. They have the potential to do any wicket they want.”But now, we’ve given them something to think about. It’s not a foregone conclusion that we are going to turn up here and they’re going to spin us out. Ollie Pope has played a fantastic knock, they’re now going to have to go analyse, like we would do if things didn’t go well, and analyse how they are going to try and combat that.”We’ve won one game, it’s a hell of an achievement, but I don’t think we need to get too far ahead of ourselves. Don’t build this up now and say, “ah we’re going to win”. It’s the same again. Go into the next game with the same belief, same process and hopefully get the same result.”

New Zealand have called up Georgia Plimmer and Mikaela Greig as replacements

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Mar-2024 • Updated on 18-Mar-2024

Amelia Kerr and Sophie Devine will not be part of New Zealand’s opening T20I against England, which gets underway in Dunedin on March 19.Kerr, fresh off winning the Debbie Hockley Medal at the New Zealand Cricket awards, was part of the Mumbai Indians side that went down to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the WPL eliminator on Friday night. But “travel complications from India mean Kerr won’t return to New Zealand in time to feature in the opening T20I”, NZC said in a statement.Devine, the New Zealand white-ball captain, scored a 27-ball 32 as RCB beat Delhi Capitals in the final to lift the WPL trophy. Devine and Kerr will link up with the New Zealand squad on Wednesday ahead of the second T20I in Nelson on March 22.Related

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New Zealand have called up batters Georgia Plimmer and Mikaela Greig* into the squad as replacement. While Plimmer has played 12 ODIs and 21 T20Is for New Zealand, Greig is yet to make her international debut. Both Plimmer and Greig will remain in Dunedin after the first T20I and reassemble with the New Zealand A one-day squad ahead of the first 50-over match against England A on Saturday.With Devine and Kerr unavailable, Suzie Bates will lead New Zealand in the opening T20I.”It’s obviously disappointing not to have Melie [Kerr] or Sophie with us for the series opener,” New Zealand head coach Ben Sawyer said. “We’ve known that this could be the case for some time now, so we’ve made plans for all scenarios and the positive is that it gives other players an opportunity to test themselves against a strong England side.”Sawyer also threw his weight behind Plimmer and Greig. “Georgia has been a regular part of our group for some time now and she’ll be involved in the ODIs – so we have full confidence she can come in and contribute in the opening T20I,” he said.”Mikaela has been impressive for the Central Hinds all summer and deserves an opportunity to join the group for the first time. She’s shown this season that she possesses power and hitting ability which are important qualities in T20 cricket and we believe she has the ability to contribute if selected in the XI tomorrow.”England also have four players unavailable for the first three (of five) T20Is because of their WPL commitments. Alice Capsey (Delhi Capitals), Sophie Ecclestone (UP Warriorz), Nat Sciver-Brunt (Mumbai Indians) and Danni Wyatt (Warriorz) will only link up with the squad ahead of the fourth T20I. Kate Cross (RCB) has been named only for the ODI series while Issy Wong (Mumbai Indians) did not find a place in either squad.Lauren Bell (Warriorz) and Heather Knight (RCB) had earlier pulled out of their WPL deals to make themselves available for the entire New Zealand white-ball series since the ECB had told the players involved in the WPL that staying in India until the tournament is complete would mean non-selection for the first three T20Is in New Zealand.New Zealand squad for first T20I vs EnglandSuzie Bates (capt), Bernadine Bezuidenhout (wk), Izzy Gaze (wk), Eden Carson, Maddy Green, Mikaela Greig, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu

More than a decade after restricting stadium access to home supporters, the AFA will begin allowing visiting fans starting this weekend

• Policy change starts with two trial matches in Matchday 2
• Ban was introduced in 2013 after repeated stadium incidents
• AFA’s Claudio Tapia calls it "important day” for Argentine football

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  After 12 years of matches played without away fans, Argentine football is taking a major step toward normalcy. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) announced that it will begin allowing visiting supporters back into stadiums, starting this weekend, and gradually lifting the long-standing restriction introduced in 2013.

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  The ban was initially enforced due to repeated crowd disturbances and safety concerns, following several violent episodes – including the deaths of two Boca Juniors fans in a clash with San Lorenzo supporters, and after a fan died during a match between Estudiantes and Lanús in 2013.

  In an effort to reduce risk, officials implemented a blanket policy barring away fans from all domestic league matches. Although controversial, the policy was widely accepted as necessary. The upcoming fixtures mark the first official step toward reintroducing full fan attendance from both sides.

  Now, the AFA will test a controlled return of visiting fans in two games during the second round of the Torneo Clausura: Lanús vs. Rosario Central and Instituto vs. River Plate. The match in Lanús is particularly high-profile, as Ángel Di María is set to play in his long-awaited return to Argentine football.

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  WHAT CLAUDIO TAPIA SAID

  "This is a very important day for Argentine football. It marks the beginning of a new chapter," said AFA president Claudio Tapia. "We’ve been working on this for a long time. Clubs that are prepared will be able to welcome away fans once again, and this weekend we’re conducting our first test."

  Tapia also emphasized the star power drawing fans from across the country.

  "There are supporters who want to see Di María – the player who scored some of our national team’s most iconic goals," he said.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Argentina has recently welcomed back two key players from its 2022 World Cup-winning squad: the legendary Di María, who returned to his beloved Rosario Central, and midfielder Leandro Paredes, who signed with Boca Juniors.

  In total, several members of the Qatar 2022 champions now play in the Argentine league. Goalkeeper Franco Armani, defenders Gonzalo Montiel, Germán Pezzella, and Marcos Acuña are all currently with River Plate.

Non-participation in domestic cricket will lead to “severe implications”, secretary Jay Shah has said

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2024BCCI secretary Jay Shah has asked centrally-contracted India players to “prove” themselves in domestic cricket if they aspire to play for the country and warned that non-participation will lead to “severe implications”. In a letter Shah wrote to the players earlier this week, which has been accessed by ESPNcricinfo, he said the “trend” of prioritising IPL over domestic cricket was a “cause for concern”.While saying the board was proud of the IPL’s success over the years, Shah wrote: “However, there is a trend that has started to emerge and is a cause for concern. Some players have begun prioritising the IPL over domestic cricket, a shift that was not anticipated. Domestic cricket has always been the foundation upon which Indian cricket stands, and it has never been undervalued in our vision for the sport.”It is essential to recognise that domestic cricket forms the backbone of Indian cricket and serves as the feeder line to Team India. Our vision for Indian cricket has been clear from the outset – every cricketer aspiring to play for India must prove themselves in domestic cricket. Performance in domestic tournaments remains a critical yardstick for selection, and non-participation in domestic cricket will carry severe implications.”Related

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Shah said the letter was “not a critique but a reminder of the values that have shaped Indian cricket over the years. It is a call to collectively ensure that we do not dilute the significance of domestic cricket or weaken its core structure. The responsibility rests with each one of us, as custodians of the game, to uphold the essence of domestic cricket and work together to elevate Indian cricket to newer heights.”The letter will put the spotlight on players like Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer and Deepak Chahar who have been out of the India squads recently for various reasons. Iyer has a Grade B BCCI contract whereas Kishan holds a Grade C contract. Chahar was not included the last time the BCCI renewed the contracts.Kishan last played for India in the T20I series against Australia in November before he pulled out of the South Africa tour at the turn of the year for personal reasons. He was then left out of the ongoing Test series against England. He has in the interim not decided to play the Ranji Trophy for Jharkhand and was reportedly training in Baroda along with Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya.Iyer, on the other hand, was dropped for the last three Tests against England after managing a top score of 35 in the first two Tests. Even though he played one round of the Ranji Trophy in January before the Tests, he didn’t play the last round of the league stage of the tournament.Chahar had also asked for time off because of personal reasons and has since regained his fitness, but he has also not played for Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy and last played a competitive game in December. He did, however, play the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy and the 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy late last year.

Ruben Amorim has hinted that Manchester United might not sign an elite striker this summer as he puts his faith in new signings Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo to take the responsibility of scoring goals for the club, while claiming Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee would have to fight for their place in his starting line-up in the 2025-26 campaign.

Amorim admitted United might not sign a new No.9Trusts Mbeumo and Cunha to step upIssued warning to Zirkzee and HojlundFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

United have had an underwhelming summer transfer window compared to rivals Liverpool and Arsenal, who have signed players like Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Viktor Gyokeres to bolster their respective attacks. While the Red Devils did sign quality attackers Cunha and Mbeumo from Wolves and Brentford, respectively, they are still lacking an elite No.9 in their squad.

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Amorim has now admitted that United might not sign a new striker this summer, which the club are reportedly fearful of internally, as he believes Cunha and Mbeumo are capable of taking the responsibility of scoring goals in the 2025-26 campaign. The Portuguese also claimed that existing forwards like Zirkzee and Hojlund will have to prove their worth in order to get into his starting line-up.

WHAT AMORIM SAID

Speaking to reporters, the 40-year-old said: "They can play as a striker. We have Josh (Zirkzee), we have Rasmus. Our focus is to improve the connection between them. I don't know if the position is there for them. They have to work. They have other players that are fighting for that position. But again, I'm really pleased.

"They (Cunha and Mbeumo) proved the qualities that they have. They are really humble, that is really important, and the best thing is that they chose to be here. They had other options, Champions League options, they read everything people say about our club at the moment but they chose to be here and that is a key point for me."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

United will play their first pre-season friendly of their U.S. tour on Sunday as they take on West Ham at MetLife Stadium.

Opener’s unbeaten 166 lays foundation for home side after Mason Crane defiance with bat

ECB Reporters Network20-Apr-2024

Ricardo Vasconcelos hit a magnificent unbeaten 166, his ninth first-class century and his first in two years, as he indulged his liking for Glamorgan’s bowlers on day two of this Vitality County Championship match at Wantage Road.He shared a partnership of 191 in 52 overs with his captain Luke Procter and a stand of 103 with Karun Nair, who passed 7000 career first-class runs in the process as Northamptonshire closed on 314 for 2 in reply to Glamorgan’s 271, a lead of 43 runs.Playing his first game for the Steelbacks this season since recovering from injury, Vasconcelos put a lacklustre 2023 behind him to register his first century since scoring 156 at Warwickshire in May 2022. It was also his highest score since the 79 he made against Surrey in September that year, although he did make 106 against Glamorgan in the One Day Cup last season.He has previously posted two Championship scores in the 180s against Glamorgan in 2019 and 2021.If Vasconcelos looked rusty early on as a couple of false shots dropped short of fielders, he grew in fluency and confidence, timing the ball beautifully and taking the attack to Glamorgan with some crisp hitting which brought him 23 boundaries off 246 deliveries.Earlier Mason Crane hit 61, his maiden first-class half-century, to frustrate Northamptonshire’s bowlers and earn Glamorgan a precious batting bonus point. Crane carved out a spirited last-wicket partnership of 35 with Mir Hamza after a 19th career five-wicket haul from Ben Sanderson threatened to bring a swift conclusion to Glamorgan’s innings.Glamorgan had resumed their innings on 203 for 7. Colin Ingram, 69 overnight, moved onto 82 and was within sight of a second century of the season when he fell to a stunning one-handed diving catch by Nair at first slip. Sanderson then claimed his fifth wicket of the innings when he had Brad Wheal caught behind without scoring.Crane proved a thorn in Northamptonshire’s side as he eclipsed his previous highest score of 29. He was proactive, manufacturing shots, including a cheeky late dab down to third and an uppercut over the keeper. Strong on the pull, he struck one short ball from Chris Tremain for six before dispatching a Raphy Weatherall delivery over mid-on to reach 50 and take Glamorgan past 250. He finally departed after fending a short one from Procter to slip.For Northamptonshire, Emilio Gay looked fluent after scoring 261 against Middlesex last weekend, taking two fours off James Harris’ first over before the Welshman trapped him lbw.Even without as much assistance for the bowlers compared to the opening day, Hamza kept things tight, showing admirable control and conceded just 13 runs in his first nine overs either side of lunch. He got the ball to swing in the evening session and deserved some rewards for his efforts.Vasconcelos edged him just short of first slip on 10 and top edged an attempted hook against Wheal which landed between two advancing fielders on 13.But he started to find his groove, slapping Harris away through point to bring up Northamptonshire’s 50, before taking boundaries off the bowler’s next over. He drove fluently and played off his legs throughout his innings, while an early highlight was a perfectly controlled uppercut through point for four off Dan Douthwaite. He brought up Northamptonshire’s 100 and his own half-century off 95 balls by driving Zain-ul-Hassan down the ground and then played an elegant front foot punch off Hamza.Vasconcelos continued the offensive after tea. He twice clubbed Crane high over long-on to the boundary and dabbed Wheal down to third before running a single to bring up his century off 153 balls.Procter was happy to fly under the radar while Vasconcelos motored along at the other end. Strong off his legs, he clipped three balls away to the ropes early in his innings before pulling Wheal through midwicket after tea as he advanced to his half-century. His downfall came after 158 balls when he attempted to sweep Crane and picked out Billy Root at backward square who took a juggling catch.Nair played some graceful shots, driving and cutting sweetly and hitting five boundaries as Northamptonshire duly moved past 300 in the 81st over.