Zaib and Taylor dig in to ensure Northants have the edge going into day three at Yorkshire

Saif Zaib and Tom Taylor scored rearguard day two fifties as Northants claimed the advantage in their LV= Insurance County Championship clash with Yorkshire at Emerald Headingley.
Saif Zaib top-scored for Northants against Yorkshire, making 55Saif Zaib top-scored for Northants against Yorkshire, making 55
Saif Zaib top-scored for Northants against Yorkshire, making 55

The seventh-wicket pair shared 92 in 41 overs either side of lunch to secure a 28-run lead on first innings at 234 all out.

Unbeaten Yorkshire having made 206 all out on day one, closed on 43 for three from 20 overs in their second innings, a lead of just 15, to undermine hopes of a third win in four Group Three matches.

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Zaib made 55 off 134 balls and Taylor 50 off 143 after the visitors had suffered what is worryingly becoming a trademark first innings collapse, slipped to 81 for five from 76 for one.

Seam and swing trio Steve Patterson, Jordan Thompson and Northampton-born David Willey took three wickets apiece as Yorkshire impressively claimed seven slip catches.

Ben Sanderson, Wayne Parnell and Gareth Berg then all struck for Northants before close.

Both sides displayed plenty of endeavour in conditions favouring bowlers, with eight of the 10 Northants wickets falling to catches behind the wicket.

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The visitors lost five morning wickets, including four for five in 26 balls as they slipped from 76 for one to 81 for five. Patterson and Thompson struck twice in that collapse.

Harry Brook’s one-handed effort diving to his right at third slip to help Thompson remove Luke Procter before lunch was the pick of the catches.

From 81 for five, Zaib and all-rounder Taylor dug in superbly after Northants skipper Ricardo Vasconcelos departed in the morning collapse for an eye-catching 47.

However, the caution displayed by left-handed Zaib and Taylor was entirely understandable. It took the visitors almost 44 overs to score their 100th run of the day.

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Zaib posted his fifty off 127 balls before losing his middle stump whilst driving at Willey’s left-arm pace shortly before tea, making it 173 for six.

Taylor reached the same milestone off 138 in the early stages of the afternoon, but he fell without further addition when bowled past the outside edge by England off-spinner Dom Bess, leaving Northants at 199 for seven.

Willey then struck twice more with the new ball against his home county, with whom he won the Vitality Blast title in 2013.

He had Parnell and Simon Kerrigan caught in the slips before Thompson’s third wicket - that of Sanderson - wrapped the innings up.

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Sanderson then forced Kohler-Cadmore to feather behind, Parnell trapped Will Fraine lbw and Berg had Adam Lyth caught at third slip to leave Yorkshire in trouble at 35 for three.

Match facts

Yorkshre v Northants, Headingley

LV= Insurance County Championship, Group 3

Day two of four

Yorkshire first innings: 206 all out (Parnell 5-64, Berg 3-32, Sanderson 2-48)

Northants first innings: 234 all out ( Zaib 55, Taylor 50, Vasconcelos 47)

Yorkshire second innings: 43-3

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