Kadeer shows his class

Kadeer Ali's 161 was the highlight as Gloucs and Northants shared the spoils

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Kadeer Ali hit a career-best 161 as Gloucestershire’s rain-ruined LV County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Bristol meandered towards a draw.

The home side began the final day on 129 for two in their first innings, with Kadeer on 63, and once the captains had declined to contrive a decisive result only one outcome was possible on a slow pitch.

Gloucestershire batted until shortly before 4.45pm before declaring on 401 for six, with Marcus North contributing 64 and Chris Taylor 50.

Northants were therefore restricted to two bowling points, despite Andrew Hall’s 3-60, and the game finished at 5pm with the visitors one without loss in their second innings.

Kadeer’s innings spanned 325 balls and featured 19 fours.

Gloucestershire took 12 points to move off the bottom of the Second Division table, while Northants had to settle for nine in their bid for promotion.

It was never going to be a scintillating day’s cricket, but Kadeer and North produced some of the best batting of the match in extending their third-wicket stand to 107.

North, making his farewell Championship appearance before returning to Australia, reached an attractive half-century off 84 balls, with six fours, and celebrated by lifting Monty Panesar for a straight six.

It was not a happy day for the England spinner, who finished with 0-86 from 29 overs, having extracted only slow turn from a lifeless surface.

North seemed to be tiring when playing a big shot against Hall and duly lost his off stump.

Batting continued to look easy as Kadeer reached his first century of the season with a straight drive off Hall having faced 224 balls and hit 12 fours.

Taylor moved to 50 off 61 deliveries, with eight boundaries, but the very next ball from Johannes van der Wath saw him drive a catch to cover.

At 306 for four the only remaining question was whether Gloucestershire could reach 400 and maximum batting points. Kadeer was dropped on 141, five runs short of his career-best, and went on to pass it comfortably before being caught and bowled by Johann Louw off a leading edge.

David Brown looked untroubled in making an unbeaten 29 and by the time Steve Snell was caught behind pulling at Hall Gloucestershire were just 13 runs short of their target.

Skipper Jon Lewis saw them to it and immediately declared to deny the opposition the chance of another bonus point.