County Championship: Joe Cracknell ton helps Middlesex recover at Northamptonshirents

Joe Cracknell scored an unbeaten 106, his maiden first-class century, while Leus du Plooy struck 66 as Middlesex staged a spirited fightback against Northamptonshire on day one of this County Championship match at Wantage Road.

Keeper-batter Cracknell, whose previous best was just 33, having largely played white-ball cricket to date, played a superbly-paced innings, facing 164 balls and striking 11 fours and a six to take the visitors to 397-8 at stumps.

It was Cracknell's third century of the week after tons in each innings of Middlesex's Second XI game against Glamorgan at Radlett.

Middlesex bounced back after Liam Guthrie, who took 6-87 with the Kookaburra ball, his first five-wicket haul for Northamptonshire, had the Seaxes reeling on 33-3 inside the first half an hour, removing the visitors' top order.

But Du Plooy started to revive Middlesex's fortunes, sharing two 60-run stands, first with Ryan Higgins (25) and then with Ben Geddes (27).

When they fell, Middlesex were still in a precarious position at 160-6 before Cracknell and Luke Hollman (51) combined to add 103 for the seventh wicket.

Cracknell was then joined by Zafar Gohar and Toby Roland-Jones in stands of 81 and 53 at the end of a satisfactory first day in charge for Middlesex's interim men's first-team coach Dane Vilas.

Click here to read article