Joe Cracknell’s Maiden First‑Class Century Powers Middlesex Recovery Against Northamptonshire

Joe Cracknell scored an unbeaten 106, his maiden first‑class century, as Middlesex staged a spirited fightback against Northamptonshire on the opening day of their Rothesay County Championship match at Wantage Road.

The wicket‑keeper batter, whose previous best was just 33 and had largely featured in white‑ball cricket until now, played a measured innings from 164 balls, striking 11 fours and a six to guide the visitors to 397 for 8 at the close. This was Cracknell’s third century of the week, following twin tons for Middlesex’s Second XI against Glamorgan at Radlett.

Middlesex had been in serious trouble early after left‑arm quick Liam Guthrie claimed three top‑order wickets inside the first half‑hour, reducing the visitors to 33 for 3. Guthrie, in fact, finished with a career‑best 6 for 87 with the Kookaburra ball.

Leus du Plooy began the recovery, putting together vital stands of 60 with Ryan Higgins and another 60 with Ben Geddes. When those partnerships ended, Middlesex still looked precarious at 160 for 6, but Cracknell combined with Luke Hollman (51) to add 103 for the seventh wicket. He then shared stands of 81 and 53 with Zafar Gohar and Toby Roland‑Jones respectively, ensuring the new era for Middlesex under head coach Dane Vilas began on a strong footing.

Earlier, Guthrie struck in the second over, coming around the wicket to have Josh de Caires caught at leg gully. Max Holden was then trapped lbw by a delivery that nipped in sharply, and when Sam Robson edged low to Harrison at second slip, Middlesex were reeling.

Leus du Plooy and Ryan Higgins rebuilt positively, adding 62 with attacking strokes. Du Plooy pulled Guthrie down the leg side for four, drove sweetly through cover and worked the seamers efficiently, while Higgins was proactive with the reverse sweep before falling lbw to a delivery from Justin Broad that appeared to be going high.

Du Plooy then combined with Geddes in another confident stand worth 60, with the pair guiding Middlesex past 100 in the 23rd over. Du Plooy pulled leg‑spinner Calvin Harrison to register his half‑century just before lunch, while Geddes drove handsomely through the covers. Du Plooy was looking dominant until he mistimed an attempted repeat of a leg‑side pull and was caught by Rob Keogh running backwards from long‑on.

Geddes fell soon after, nicking Broad to the keeper, and Middlesex were still in trouble until Cracknell and Hollman counter‑attacked. Cracknell pulled and drove Broad for boundaries, while Hollman was assertive against the spinners, sweeping Harrison and Pope effectively and dispatching a half‑tracker from Keogh for a six that took him past his previous best score.

After tea, the pair brought up the century partnership, both reaching their fifties before Hollman skied an attempted hook to deep backward square leg, where Pope held a sharp catch. Cracknell pressed on, finding the boundary with drives and pulls, while Gohar offered solid support with a run‑a‑ball 34 before being fended to slip by another sharp delivery from Guthrie.

With the new ball, Cracknell drove through the covers and worked Broad into the off‑side to reach three figures, marking the milestone with a well‑earned celebration. Late fireworks from Roland‑Jones ensured Middlesex rounded off the day positively, finishing on 397 for 8.

Catch the match live updates, highlights, and full match coverage on CricRadio. Get fast, accurate, and ad-free updates throughout the game. Download the CricRadio app from the Play Store to stay connected. You can also get the live scores of cricket series directly on the CricRadio website for real-time coverage.