McSweeney and Sales fight back against Middlesex

Northamptonshire had taken all 10 wickets in a Championship innings through catches for the first time in 21 years.

Middlesex's bowlers found early movement, Luke Procter trapped lbw by Helm with Harrison departing next over without scoring, caught off the leading edge at cover.

Ricardo Vasconcelos (27) crisply upper cut a short ball from Helm, but fell on the stroke of lunch, edging Roland-Jones behind, to leave Northamptonshire 42-3.

The home side picked up runs against Helm after lunch, McSweeney opening his account steering through mid-wicket before driving straight, while Saif Zaib collected consecutive well-timed boundaries.

McSweeney took a shine to Ryan Higgins' medium pacers, taking three fours off one over, driving and punching square of the wicket and stroking majestically through extra cover.

He and Zaib marked their half-century partnership, but Naavya Sharma found some helpful away movement to entice Zaib into edging edge low to Sam Robson who held a well-judged catch at second slip.

McSweeney continued to find the boundary though, pulling Sharma and straight driving Roland-Jones before leaning into a flourishing square drive off Higgins to bring up his half-century.

Sales was distinctly unsettled early on, but he pulled Helm and drove through cover as he grew more composed. He brought up the 50 partnership with McSweeney just before tea when he edged Roland-Jones just wide of the slips.

Northamptonshire showed positive intent after the interval, scoring at over six an over.

Sales led the charge, upper cutting Higgins over the slips and unfurling textbook cover drives off consecutive deliveries to reach his first half-century of the season and showed disdain in putting away a Hollman half-tracker to take Northamptonshire past 200.

The runs kept coming, Sales opening the face to steer Higgins down to third before playing a decisive cut to backward point before the players went off for bad light.

Report by ECB Reporters' Network, supported by Rothesay.

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