Derbyshire clear deficit after Procter and Zaib tons

Saif Zaib has hit centuries in successive matches for Northamptonshire

Rothesay County Championship Division Two, County Ground, Derby (day three)

Derbyshire 307 & 202-3: Jewell 71, Madsen 62*; Leech 2-54

Northants 500-8 dec: Procter 150, Zaib 105, Vasconcelos 82

Derbyshire (4 pts) lead Northants (8 pts) by nine runs with 7 wickets standing

Match scorecard

A career-best century for Luke Procter backed up by a blistering hundred from Saif Zaib gave Northamptonshire the upper hand on day three of the County Championship Division Two match against Derbyshire at Derby.

Procter's 150 from 272 balls provided the launching pad for Zaib who hit three sixes to race to a second century in consecutive matches off only 86 balls.

With Justin Broad hammering 46 from 27 balls, the visitors declared on 500-8 with a lead of 193 but their bowlers also struggled on a pitch which has flattened out.

Australian opener Caleb Jewell eased to a fifth 50 in six innings and with Wayne Madsen completing his second half century of the game, Derbyshire moved to 202-3 at stumps, a lead of nine.

Procter faced 17 balls to get the three runs needed to complete his ninth first-class hundred but from then on, the visitors moved swiftly through the gears.

When the second new ball was taken, Rob Keogh drove Luis Reece for four to bring up the 300 and the 100 stand which had come from 164 balls.

Keogh reached his 50 by pulling Reece for another boundary but in the same over he went for a big drive and was bowled .

Zaib survived a hard chance to second slip on one and he took full advantage as he tore the bowling apart either side of lunch.

Procter passed his previous highest score , an unbeaten 144 against Warwickshire at Northampton in 2022, and then pulled Zak Chappell for his 20th four to reach 150 before cutting Blair Tickner into the hands of gully.

But Derbyshire were struggling to stem the flow of runs with Zaib taking 14 off a Martin Andersson over as 139 runs came in the first session.

The lead at the interval was 68 and although Lewis McManus was caught behind sweeping at Jack Morley, the game quickly ran away from Derbyshire who had to bowl spin at both ends to improve a slow over rate.

Zaib and Broad tucked into the post-lunch smorgasbord to plunder 85 from 54 balls before the latter was caught at deep midwicket to give Madsen his first Championship wicket since April 2022.

When Zaib skied Morley to long off, the declaration came giving their bowlers 54 overs to try and put Derbyshire under pressure but the batters continued to dominate.

David Lloyd needed a big innings after a run of low scores and started positively, pulling Liam Guthrie for six, but then fell to a stunning catch by Broad who leapt at cover to hold on at the second attempt.

But Jewell again looked untroubled and with Harry Came, reduced the arrears to under a hundred before Dom Leech trapped Came on the crease in the 27th over.

Jewell responded by pulling Leech for his seventh four to reach 50 and with Madsen, set about deflating Northants' hopes of victory.

The pair added 66 from 84 balls and although Jewell cut Broad into the hands of first slip, Madsen passed 50 for the fourth time this season to put his team in credit by the close.

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