LCCC require 350 on final day
Wed 28 Jun 2017
Northamptonshire versus Leicestershire, Specsavers County Championship, Day 3:
SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo HERE
INTERVIEW | Colin Ackermann spoke to BBC Radio Leicester's Richard Rae at stumps, the interview is available HERE
HIGHLIGHTS | The highlights of the third day are available HERE
REPORT | Leicestershire will require 350 to win on the final day while Northamptonshire require all ten second innings wickets after the batsmen had the better of a truncated third day at Wantage Road.
Northants declared their second innings at 289-7 as centurions Alex Wakely and Rob Keogh shared 171 for the fourth wicket while Colin Ackermann returned career-best figures in the first-class arena, 3-45.
County were set 394 to win in a minimum of 112 overs and openers Paul Horton and Arun Harinath battled away against the pink ball to end on 20 apiece as the team knocked 44 off the target.
The first 33 overs of day three were lost due to the weather and there was further frustration for the Foxes when play was able to get underway.
Northants resumed at 60-3, 164 ahead, but Wakely and Keogh quickly added to the advantage in the second session, scoring 146 runs off 28 overs to extend their partnership to 163.
The home captain hit five fours in progressing to 50 from 55 deliveries. Keogh’s first boundary of the day was a clip off the pads but the number five batsman predominantly found the ropes in the arc between third man and cover.
A total of 14 runs came from the 34th over including two fours off the bat, Wakely extremely quick to latch on to short deliveries to take his boundary tally into double figures and the alliance to 100.
Wakely then clipped a six over straight mid-wicket in Rob Sayer’s opening over before Keogh posted a half-century from 77 balls (7x4).
Another milestone was reached before dinner as Wakely recorded his first Specsavers County Championship century of the season (108b, 11x4, 1x6).
Keogh, who skipped down the pitch to lift Sayer over mid-off before sweeping the next delivery for another boundary in front of square, took tea 70 not out with Wakely on 109 as Northants moved to 206-3, a lead of 310.
Northants looked to further press home their advantage and although they lost four wickets in setting up a declaration, Keogh moved to a 136-ball ton that included 11 fours.
Ackermann made breakthroughs in successive overs as Wakely miscued a reverse sweep to Horton at short third man and Chesney Hughes (3) picked out Mathew Pillans at mid-wicket, while the off-spinner also had Rory Kleinveldt (12) caught by Ned Eckersley on the mid-wicket boundary.
Paceman Pillans struck between Ackermann’s second and third wickets when an attempted pull from Josh Cobb (18) went high into the gloom before dropping into Lewis Hill’s gloves.
Keogh ended 105 not out before Leicestershire’s opener Horton and Harinath did a grand job, defending well and striking three boundaries apiece to ensure County took all ten second innings wickets into the final day.
Bowling figures for Leicestershire: Klein 7-0-44-1, McKay 15-4-44-1, Dexter 7-0-38-0, Pillans 18-0-85-2, Sayer 2-0-22-0, Ackermann 12-0-45-3.
