I suppose for Old Trafford Test matches, rain is a fact of life. Mancunians will argue blind that Sydney has more rainfall of course and statistically they may have a point, but perception (or should that be precipitation) is reality in the minds of cricket followers.
Some 197 miles south of Old Trafford, Middlesex had won the toss and looking up at similarly gloomy skies had no hesitation in asking Northants to bat. No sooner had they done so, the Manchester rain turned off the A40 and parked itself over Merchant Taylors’ School. An early lunch was duly taken with no play at both venues.
Division Two of the County Championship may not be at the level of a Test match, but there was undeniable international pedigree within the Northants opening pair in the shape of Prithvi Shaw. Once hailed as the new Tendulkar, India’s youngest Test centurion on debut and just the second–youngest Test centurion after Sachin Tendulkar himself, he had finished his first Test series , at home to the West Indies in 2018, averaging 119. Two years later, three tests in New Zealand and Australia didn’t produce anything like the same returns and thus, amid rumblings of alleged discipline issues, Shaw’s Test career ground to an abrupt halt.
Prithvi Shaw makes a sharp start
India’s loss has been Northants’ gain, but despite crashing runs for fun in the One Day Cup, his three Championship outings have been less productive thus far. When the rain relented and play began here, it seemed Shaw was on a mission to rectify that inconsistency. The very first ball, delivered by Ethan Bamber from the River End, was imperiously cut past backward point for 4. Four further boundaries followed in rapid order for Shaw, with partner Emilo Gay reduced to something of a watching brief.
Just as the Middlesex faithful might have been twitching with “we’ve been here before after putting teams in” vibes, an attempted pull to leg by Shaw off Middlesex captain Toby Roland Jones top edged a looping catch to Mark Stoneman in the gulley. A poor shot and an easy catch had Northants one down. It wasn’t to be the last loose Northants shot either. Ricardo Vasconcelos was similarly rash, offering the simplest of catches to Roland Jones at mid-on to gift Tom Helm his first wicket. If that was a trifle fortunate for Helm, his delivery to comprehensively clean-up Northants’s captain Luke Proctor was anything but. After a single somewhat inauspicious Hundred outing for Welsh Fire, Helm was clearly chomping at the bit to make an impact here and the fire missing in Wales was well and truly alight in Northwood.
Wickets fall at bowler friendly Merchant Taylors’
In overcast conditions and on a pitch that seemed to have plenty to offer the bowlers, wickets continued to fall. Bartlett looking to dig in was solid enough for 15 deliveries, but then edged a sharp rising delivery from Bamber to Robson at slip for just 4. Rob Keogh departed in identical manner this time a first wicket for Henry Brooks.
All the while, opener Emilio Gay, after his watchful start, was able to keep the score moving along as wickets fell around him. He had reached 42 off his 77 balls, when Roland Jones found some extra bounce from the Lake End and the ball flew to first slip, Sam Robson gratefully taking his third catch. Gay was soon followed by South African born German international Justin Broad, trapped in front by Roland Jones without scoring.
With Northants seven down for just 113 and conditions strongly favouring their bowling attack, Middlesex will have been looking to really drive home the advantage. A partnership of 36 in 39 balls between Lewis McManus and Ben Sanderson was both belligerent and obdurate however and saw Northants to 149 without further loss. Alas at that point, the rain which had never seemed far away, returned and the players departed.
In Manchester, the sun was shining on the Test Match. As a disappointed crowd filed out of Merchant Taylors, they will have looked northwards from Northwood, cursing their misfortune. They may well have got home and cursed even more though as enough sunshine finally returned after a 90-minute delay to encourage the teams back out. Alas it was for just for fourteen more balls, during which the McManus and Sanderson partnership passed 50 and Northants reached 167 before bad light rather than rain did end the day. And by then rain, perhaps inevitably, had returned to Manchester.
A good day for Middlesex. When their time comes to bat, however, they will need plenty of resolve in what are likely to be similarly tough conditions and will be without the injured Ryan Higgins to bale them out should they flounder against a Northants attack that includes the chess playing, leg spinning Indian wizard Yuzvendra Chahal.
Weather permitting, an intriguing second day is in store.