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Northamptonshire’s David Willey and Rob Keogh frustrate Sri Lankans Northamptonshire’s David Willey and Rob Keogh frustrate Sri Lankans
(about 1 hour later)
Once play was called off for the day on Saturday barely beyond midday, this match was unlikely to head anywhere but towards a gentle draw. There might have been an opportunity for Sri Lankans to force the pace if they took the remaining five Northamptonshire first innings wickets with any measure of rapidity and, enforcing a follow-on, allowed the trio of pacemen vying for what is probably a single place for the first Test to have another go. But although there were some big runs in their own first innings from Kaushal Silva and Lahiru Thirimanne, and a bit of gentle easy-as-you-like muscle-flexing from Mahela Jaywardene, there was still going to be some advantage in allowing other batsmen time to adjust to the tempo of the longer form of the game. Once play was called off for the day on Saturday barely beyond midday, this match was unlikely to head anywhere but towards a gentle draw. There might have been an opportunity for the Sri Lankans to force the pace if they had taken the remaining five Northamptonshire first innings wickets with any measure of rapidity and, enforcing a follow-on, allowed the trio of pacemen vying for what is probably a single place for the first Test to have another go. But although there were some big runs in their own first innings from Kaushal Silva and Lahiru Thirimanne, and a bit of gentle, easy-as-you-like muscle-flexing from Mahela Jayawardene, there was still going to be some advantage in allowing other batsmen time to adjust to the tempo of the longer form of the game.
As it transpired, that ambition was thwarted by the Northamptonshire innings extending well into the afternoon of the final day, necessitating even the taking of a second new ball (or strictly speaking the third alternative ball of the day thanks to some monstrous striking by David Willey), before Rob Keogh, to his own disgust given that he had been batting for more than five hours in making 120, was seduced into flicking at a widish ball and nibbled a catch to the less celebrated of the two Jaywardenes, Prasanna. Keogh, together with Matt Spriegel, Willey, and at the very end Chad Barrett, had managed to take the score on the day from 150 for five to 345, a deficit still of 213. The follow-on did not eventuate. As it transpired, that ambition was thwarted by the Northamptonshire innings extending well into the afternoon of the final day, necessitating even the taking of a second new ball (or, strictly speaking, the third alternative ball of the day thanks to some monstrous striking by David Willey), before Rob Keogh, to his own disgust given that he had been batting for more than five hours in making 120, was seduced into flicking at a widish ball and nibbled a catch to the less celebrated of the two Jayawardenes, Prasanna. Keogh, together with Matt Spriegel, Willey, and at the very end Chad Barrett, had managed to take the score on the day from 150 for five to 345, a deficit still of 213. The follow-on did not eventuate.
Willey, rusty with the ball and still sensibly restricted in the overs he can bowl following recovery from a serious back injury, then removed Dinesh Chandimal. Dimuth Karunaratne, Mahela Jaywardene, stumped without scoring (a mode of dismissal unlikely to be repeated in the next few weeks), and Kumar Sangakkara, caught at long on, all went to off-spin, before the players, with the score 99-4 and with not a touch of acrimony, shook hands. Willey, rusty with the ball and still sensibly restricted in the overs he can bowl after his recovery from a serious back injury, then removed Dinesh Chandimal. Dimuth Karunaratne, Mahela Jayawardene, stumped without scoring (a mode of dismissal unlikely to be repeated in the next few weeks), and Kumar Sangakkara, caught at long on, all went to off-spin, before the players, with the score 99-4 and with not a touch of acrimony, shook hands.
It was a fine innings from Keogh, not yet 23 years old and playing only his 11th first class match, and second of the summer. Last September, at Hampshire’s Ageas Bowl, he took his county from a perilous 32 for four to 438, before he was last out again, for 221 – an innings of great maturity, say those who witnessed it. This too was a challenging situation given the magnitude of the Sri Lankan innings, but he showed considerable discipline, and in particular drove through the covers – the crisp unembellished check-drive so favoured these days – with impressive authority. It was a fine innings from Keogh, not yet 23 years old and playing only his 11th first class match and second of the summer. Last September, at Hampshire’s Ageas Bowl, he took his county from a perilous 32 for four to 438, before he was last out again, for 221 – an innings of great maturity, say those who witnessed it. This, too, was a challenging situation given the magnitude of the Sri Lankan innings, but he showed considerable discipline, and in particular drove through the covers – the crisp, unembellished check-drive so favoured these days – with impressive authority.
He needed help towards the end though, for he lost Spriegel early on and Steven Crook soon after, before adding 75 with Willey in little more than an hour, the latter not too intent on hanging round. Before Willey hurled down the pitch to the offspinner Dilruwan Perera and was confortably stumped, he had hit three fours and two sixes, the second of them clearing the stand by the Gallone ice cream van at square leg, and the first, straight, soaring over the indoor school roof and into the road never to be seen again. He needed help towards the end, though, for he lost Spriegel early on and Steven Crook soon after, before adding 75 with Willey in little more than an hour, the latter not too intent on hanging round. Before Willey hurled down the pitch to the offspinner Dilruwan Perera and was comfortably stumped, he had hit three fours and two sixes, the second of them clearing the stand by the ice cream van at square leg, and the first, straight, soaring over the indoor school roof and into the road, never to be seen again.
Fun it may have been but Keogh had some right to be frustrated by Willey’s casual demise, for a hundred would have been just reward for his efforts – and he was clearly not best pleased when the penultimate man, Graeme White, also had a whack and was caught. By then Keogh had 80, but found a willing ally in Barrett, and together, in an hour, they added 64 for the last wicket. In the process, Keogh reached his hundred in a single over by thrice driving Dhammika Prasad sumptuously through the covers.Fun it may have been but Keogh had some right to be frustrated by Willey’s casual demise, for a hundred would have been just reward for his efforts – and he was clearly not best pleased when the penultimate man, Graeme White, also had a whack and was caught. By then Keogh had 80, but found a willing ally in Barrett, and together, in an hour, they added 64 for the last wicket. In the process, Keogh reached his hundred in a single over by thrice driving Dhammika Prasad sumptuously through the covers.