Nixon makes Northants pay

23 August 2006

Paul Nixon © Getty Images

Paul Nixon’s career-best 144 not out helped Leicestershire turn the screw in their rain-affected Liverpool Victoria County Championship clash with Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

The veteran wicket-keeper cashed in on some sloppy fielding to get to the brink of his maiden first-class 150, having earlier watched team-mate HD Ackerman reach 216, as Leicestershire amassed a daunting 515 for eight.

The pair resumed in miserable conditions with the score on 383 for four - and the gloom quickly deepened for the paltry home crowd when Ackerman drove Ben Phillips through the covers to bring up his double century and Leicestershire’s 400.

Australian Matt Nicholson eventually gave the hosts something to cheer about when Ackerman found Steven Crook at square-leg 18 overs into the day to end a fifth-wicket stand of 211.

The former South African international eventually had faced 331 balls, peppering the boundary boards with 34 fours to finish eight runs above the total his father chalked up for Northants against Leicestershire at Grace Road in 1970.

Nixon then slogged Crook to long-off to reach his century before battering England spinner Monty Panesar for two sixes and a four in an over.

Claude Henderson briefly joined the party with two boundaries before holing out to Lance Klusener in the deep for just 13.

Following Henderson’s dismissal, Stuart Broad was dropped twice, with substitute fielder Javon Searles also fluffing his lines and spilling Nixon at fine-leg on 123.

On the same day he was named in England’s one-day squad, Broad’s luck finally ran out when he was caught at leg-slip by Stephen Peters off Chris Rogers for 12.

Nixon was then given a massive reprieve when skipper David Sales dropped him one short of his previous best of 134 - and he cashed in with two runs off Crook before he was given another life by Panesar’s butter fingers at fine leg moments later.

Jigar Naik had already departed, edging Crook to Peters at first slip to give the seamer figures of 2-105 off 21 overs.

Rain halted play five minutes before lunch and, with inspections at 3pm and 4pm failing to bear fruit, play was finally called off for the day at 5.20pm.