Outstanding Chappell takes second successive best
Sat 9 Jun 2018
SCORE | Day 1 of 4, Specsavers County Championship: Northamptonshire CCC 204 v Leicestershire CCC 64 for 3
SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo
REACTION | Zak Chappell spoke to BBC Radio Leicester’s Richard Rae at stumps
HIGHLIGHTS | In-play highlights are available throughout the 2018 season
REPORT | Zak Chappell was in outstanding form on an absorbing opening day of the Specsavers County Championship game at Wantage Road.
Chappell picked up a career-best 6 for 44, his maiden first-class five-for, while Ben Raine (3 for 35) took his competition tally to 19 wickets at an impressive 23.05 apiece as Northants were dismissed for 204.
The young all-rounder was recording a personal high for the second game in succession after claiming List A best figures of 3 for 45 against Durham on Thursday.
It was a testing 25-over period to bat for County, and it continued to be a competitive contest between bat and ball. Ben Sanderson dismissed openers Paul Horton and Harry Dearden as part of a good nine-over burst as the Foxes closed at 64 for 3.
Leicestershire CCC welcomed back Pakistan international seamer Muhammad Abbas, Chappell and Dearden into their side, and opted not to have a coin toss on an overcast, chilly morning in Northampton.
Abbas and Raine got the ball swinging in the early exchanges - a theme for the entire day - and life was difficult for openers Rob Newton and Ben Duckett.
A chance was created at the start of the seventh over as Abbas found the edge of Newton but Colin Ackermann hurt himself attempting to take the catch at second slip. It was Raine’s turn to take the outside of the bat in the next over as Duckett (14) nicked a delivery that bounced into the hands of ‘keeper Lewis Hill.
The lively Chappell struck in his opening over when producing late in-swing to beat Newton (31), and the paceman struck again before lunch. Home skipper Alex Wakely (9) must have thought that an edge off Chappell would fly through the cordon at head height but Mark Cosgrove took a superb catch in front of his face at second slip.
Ricardo Vasconcelos, making his Specsavers County Championship debut, fought hard in developing a 53-run stand with Adam Rossington either side of the interval. The determined left-hander generally used the pace of the ball to score his runs while Rossington twice pulled Gavin Griffiths over mid-wicket for a six and four respectively.
It looked as though Vasconcelos would reach a deserved 50 but the return of Chappell brought about a key period in which three wickets were claimed with the score at 128 in the space of six deliveries.
The tall seamer had Vasconcelos (49) and Rob Keogh (0) caught at the wicket in contrasting fashion - the former almost guided it off the face while Keogh snicked a full, swinging delivery - while Hill was again in the action when Dexter found the edge of Rossington (22).
Rory Kleinveldt put bat to ball as he scored 21 before Chappell made it five when the batsman walked across the crease and saw leg stump disturbed. Northants were at 159 for 7 at the point when Chappell’s six-over burst of 3 for 19 came to an end.
Saif Zaib (34) struck three consecutive fours at the end of the 58th over and shared 42 with Nathan Buck before perishing shortly after tea. The left-hander carved Raine to Chappell - you couldn't keep him out of the action today - at backward point just as the Northampton Carnival reached a crescendo outside Wantage Road.
Buck, who battled hard and played some nice strokes in scoring 20 off 52 balls, then lost his off stump to Chappell while Sanderson (0) was palpably leg before to Raine.
There was a testing period of batting remaining and Horton (13) and Dearden set a steady platform, scoring 24 inside eight overs before Sanderson removed the openers in successive overs.
Skipper Horton fell in unfortunate fashion, pushing the ball back down the wicket and seeing the bowler take an outstanding one-handed catch diving to his right, and Sanderson then beat the forward defensive shot of Dearden (17).
Ackermann and Cosgrove (13) regrouped but the Foxes lost their left-hander in the 21st over, Cotton threading one back in to trap the batsman lbw. That brought nightwatchman Griffiths (1*) to the wicket, and he batted to stumps alongside Ackermann, who ended unbeaten on 19.
TEAM | Horton (capt), Dearden, Ackermann, Cosgrove, Dexter, Hill (wk), Chappell, Raine, Parkinson, Griffiths, Abbas.
FIGURES | Abbas 16-4-43-0, Raine 17-5-35-3, Griffiths 11-2-55-0, Chappell 14-2-44-6, Parkinson 4-2-10-0, Dexter 7-1-16-1.
PHOTO | Thanks to John Mallett for the photo of Zak Chappell.
* Leicestershire CCC's next Specsavers County Championship home game is against Middlesex starting on Wednesday, June 20. Tickets are available for all four days online HERE
