Vasconcelos suffers fracture before Northants clash abandoned due to player safety concerns

Umpires Chris Watts and Sue Redfern called a halt early on in the final session on Thursday after Vasconcelos and team-mate Rob Keogh had both been struck blows on the hand by Gloucestershire paceman Ajeet Singh Dale, with the pair retiring hurt.

Northants were well placed at 116 for two in reply to Gloucestershire's 125 all out when the contest was abandoned at 5pm, and with just 65.4 overs having been bowled on the hybrid playing surface.

The umpires consulted with captains Graeme van Buuren and Luke Procter, before leading the players from the pitch and then holding a consultation with groundstaff to explain their decision.

Watts and Redfern then talked with match referee Jason Swift before contacting ECB pitch inspectors at Lord's to seek advice.

The decision was then taken to abandon the match.

Gloucestershire scored in excess of 500 runs on a neighbouring pitch against Leicestershire earlier in the week, but were unceremoniously shot out in just 36.1 overs on this occasion.

The county deployed a hybrid pitch for their home Championship match against Middlesex in May without any issues arising.

But this was an altogether different set of circumstances, with Vasconcelos being taken to hospital with a suspected broken finger.

It was confirmed by Northants head coach after the match the player had suffered a fracture, which makes him a serious doubt for next week’s Blast last-eight clash.

When Keogh was struck during the final session, the umpires, concerned for the safety of the batsmen, made their intervention.

Northants will collect 11 points for a draw, including three bowling bonus points, but Gloucestershire will receive none, and it remains to be seen whether or not the county will face any further sanction.

The umpires issued a brief statement, which read: "The match has been abandoned because there was a foreseeable risk to the batters. In the opinion of the umpires, it would be unreasonable to continue."

Northants all-rounder Justin Broad had reason to feel aggrieved, having produced a career-best bowling performance to put the skids under Gloucestershire.

In the absence of pace spearheads Ben Sanderson and Jack White, both rested ahead of next week's Vitality Blast quarter-final against Somerset, batting all-rounder Broad was handed the new ball and returned startling figures of seven for 33 in 15.1 overs with seven maidens.

Of the Gloucestershire batsmen, only Ollie Price managed to cope with exaggerated nip and seam off the pitch, top-scoring with 52 and staging a stand of 60 for the fifth wicket with van Buuren, whose dismissal for 40 sparked a collapse which saw the home side lose their last six wickets for 22 runs in 11.1 overs.

Despite having to field a weakened attack, Procter did not hesitate to bowl first on a green-tinged surface and it proved an exceedingly good toss to win, Gloucestershire losing openers Cameron Bancroft and Ben Charlesworth inside six overs as Broad and his captain made the new ball talk.

Although Broad boasted just 11 wickets at 43 apiece in 13 previous first-class matches, he looked the part when persuading a length ball to straighten up and clip the top of Bancroft's off stump.

Having scored a maiden double hundred in his last innings, Charlesworth was brought down to earth with a bump when pushing tentatively at an angled delivery from Procter and offering a straightforward catch to second slip.

Procter struck again in his next over, Miles Hammond swishing at a ball outside off stump and nicking to second slip as Gloucestershire slipped to 16 for three.

Unlike Hammond, the in-form James Bracey could not be held accountable for his dismissal, the Championship's leading run scorer being unfortunately run out when loan signing Dom Leach diverted an Ollie Price drive onto the stumps with the batsman at the non-striker's end backing up.

Price and van Buuren enjoyed better fortune against the change bowlers, the latter taking on Gus Miller with a top-edged hook that went for six and then twice pulling Leach to the mid-wicket boundary to afford the innings momentum.

But van Buuren flirted with danger and was twice dropped on 25 and 30 before pursuing a wide delivery and feathering a catch to second slip to gift Broad his second wicket.

The South African's dismissal for a run-a-ball 40 with the score on 93 sparked a calamitous collapse, Tom Price falling lbw to Broad in the final over before lunch, which was taken with the hosts on 113 for six.

Gloucestershire's slide continued unchecked after the interval, Zafar Gohar shouldering arms to a straight one from Broad, who then pinned Ollie Price lbw for an 85-ball 52 to register his maiden five-wicket haul.

Broad then accounted for tailenders Dom Goodman and Zaman Akhter in quick succession on his way to achieving the best figures of any Northants bowler in matches at Bristol since George Thompson took eight for 14 in 1910.

Batting continued to be a hazardous affair when Northants replied.

Prithvi Shaw and Vasconcelos staged an opening partnership of 50 in 11.1 overs, only for the latter to then edge a catch behind off Singh Dale.

Vasconcelos advanced his score to 21 before retiring hurt, after which Procter and Keogh added an unbeaten 49 for the third wicket.