da apostaganha： Notwithstanding the late surrender of its first two second innings wickets,Northamptonshire has continued to defy its underdog status on day two of anabsorbing County Championship match against Warwickshire at Edgbaston
Staff and agencies29-Jul-2000Notwithstanding the late surrender of its first two second innings wickets,Northamptonshire has continued to defy its underdog status on day two of anabsorbing County Championship match against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.Buoyed by an inspired display of off spin bowling from Jason Brown andGraeme Swann, the visitors had forged their way to an overall lead of 126by the time that stumps were drawn.It was Brown and Swann’s effort in snaring nine Warwickshire wicketsbetween them – around an innings of steely resolve from Dominic Ostler -which was the main story of another day of fluctuating fortunes. On a drypitch, the spin twins initiated a mid-afternoon collapse which saw theiropponents lose their last seven wickets for a mere sixty-eight runs andplunge to an eighty-two run first innings deficit in the process. Brownclaimed 5/88 in what is only his fifth game since returning to the teamlast month while Swann added lustre to what has already become another fineall-round game for him with a return of 4/74. Both gained appreciable turnfrom the wicket and neither was especially afraid to flight the ball.Only Ostler’s fine 88 held the innings together in retrospect. The youngopener, whose 818 runs make him easily Warwickshire’s most productive firstclass scorer to this stage of the season, had enjoyed himself yesterday byholding four catches at slip to help Ashley Giles on his way to a haul of6/118. But he must have pushed the boundaries of his delight even furthertoday with his enterprising innings. He indulged himself early on withsome beautifully timed drives through the off side before raising the tempoeven further with some punishing attacking shots through the middle stagesof his 192-ball stay. It was a measure of his centrality to his team’scause that its innings subsided almost completely once he once he wascaught by Adrian Rollins at short-leg off Brown with the score at 188.On its return to the crease, Northamptonshire purposefully set aboutextending the lead with openers Rollins (8) and skipper Matthew Hayden(35*) taking the score swiftly to 43. But that was before the ball showedsigns of turning sharply again. In this latter sense, it was not asurprising development that Rollins and night-watchman Paul Taylor (0) fellin quick succession as Giles (whose seven wickets already in the match mustsurely provide more food for thought for England’s selectors) and NeilSmith sent the match hurtling back toward a position of parity once more.