Ricardo Vasconcelos, Saif Zaib set Northants platform earlier than the rain
Northamptonshire 86 for two (Vasconcelos 37*, Zaib 22*) vs Nottinghamshire
Ricardo Vasconcelos and Saif Zaib shared a fifty partnership as Northamptonshire recovered from shedding two early wickets earlier than rain curtailed the opening day of their LV= Insurance County Championship match in opposition to Nottinghamshire.
Vasconcelos – having been dropped twice as he progressed to 37 not out – batted proper via the morning session at Wantage Road so as to add precisely 50 for the third wicket with Zaib, who posted an unbeaten 22.
That stand enabled Northamptonshire to succeed in lunch at 86 for 2, with Luke Fletcher and Dan Paterson taking a wicket apiece, however additional progress proved unimaginable after a heavy downpour in the course of the interval left the taking part in floor saturated.
Umpires Neil Pratt and Richard Illingworth deserted play for the day shortly after 3pm.
Despite lacking England tempo duo Stuart Broad and Olly Stone from their bowling assault, Nottinghamshire skipper Steven Mullaney opted to insert the house facet after successful the toss.
Emilio Gay, again on the prime of the order after a knee harm had dominated him out of Northamptonshire’s first 4 matches this season, displayed no indicators of rust as he dispatched Fletcher to the fence thrice.
However, Fletcher probed away to get his man, shifting one away to search out the sting into Joe Clarke’s gloves and that dismissal, together with a constant spell from first-change Paterson, stifled the scoring price.
Paterson picked up the guests’ second wicket with a lovely supply that seared again a protracted method to crash into Sam Whiteman’s off stump – and they need to have had a 3rd after squandering two alternatives to take away Vasconcelos.
Brett Hutton spilled a routine slip catch after the left-hander wafted exterior off stump at Lyndon James and he was afforded a second life when Clarke failed to carry onto a leg look off Paterson.
It took Vasconcelos 89 balls to register his first boundary, belting a uncommon stray supply from Paterson via the covers, however the second and third shortly adopted in Fletcher’s subsequent over as he and Zaib constructed a strong partnership.
There was one other scare for Vasconcelos simply earlier than lunch, having second ideas a couple of fast single as he stumbled midway down the wicket, however regained his footing to scamper to security on the non-striker’s finish whereas Matthew Montgomery’s throw flew large.