Northants still winless as Durham turn the screw at Chester-le-Street
Colin Ackermann made 108 to set up Durham’s victory • MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Durham 261 for 6 (Ackermann 108, Lees 55) Northamptonshire 260 (Shaw 97) by four wickets
Colin Ackermann made his first List A century for Durham to help his side beat Northamptonshire Steelbacks by four wickets in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup match at the Riverside.
Ackermann made 108 as the home team overhauled the Steelbacks’ 260 with 11 balls to spare, an outcome that had not looked likely when visiting opener Prithvi Shaw was making a 71-ball 97 and Northamptonshire were 144 for 1 after 21 overs.
But Durham’s spinners throttled the run rate to set up their side’s second victory in this season’s competition. Northamptonshire, however have now lost their first four matches and must win the next four to have a hope of qualifying for the knockout stages.
Northamptonshire’s innings began with a flurry of boundaries as Durham’s new ball bowlers lost their radar. Nine fours were struck in the first five overs at the end of which the visitors were 53 without loss.
Bas de Leede then bowled a wicket-maiden in which he had Ricardo Vasconcelos caught behind for 9 but Shaw continued to feast on the Durham seamers, reaching his fifty off 31 balls with 11 fours, and after ten overs Northamptonshire were 78 for 1.
Although Scott Borthwick’s legspin curbed Shaw’s progress a little the opener had still made 97 when he top-edged a sweep off Borthwick to Mitch Killeen at short fine leg. He had faced 71 balls, hitting 16 fours and a six. Three overs later, Killeen accepted a much more difficult chance when he dived low to his right at backward point to catch George Bartlett’s reverse-sweep off George Drissell for 34.
That left Northamptonshire on 162 for three in the 26th over and the home side took another wicket 26 runs later when Rob Keogh miscued an Ackermann offbreak to Paul Coughlin at midwicket.
Having made 25 off 33 balls, Saif Zaib holed out at deep square-leg when he pulled a Borthwick long-hop to Ackermann and Northants later lost Gus Miller, bowled by Coughlin for 15, and Justin Broad, run out for a single as they pressed for quick runs in the last ten overs.
Northamptonshire were dismissed for 260 in the final over and Durham probably regarded that total as representing an escape. Ackermann, who took two for 38 and Borthwick, with two for 42 were largely responsible for their side’s comparative recovery.
The first ten overs of Durham’s innings was far quieter than those of their opponents. The home side scored just 35 runs for the loss of Michael Jones, bowled by Sanderson for 9, and Ben McKinney, who miscued Justin Broad high to Sanderson, running behind the bowler from mid-on to take the catch.
Those breakthroughs were followed by a superb partnership between Alex Lees and Ackermann, who saw off the seam bowlers before taking the attack to the spinners in a passage of play that contrasted with Wednesday’s match on this ground, when Somerset’s Jack Leach caused havoc.
The pair brought up their century partnership in 95 balls, by which time Ackermann had reached his fifty in 52 balls and the balance of the match had shifted. Durham were 126 for 2 after 25 overs. Lewis McManus rotated his spinners but the changes achieved nothing until Lees, having reached his fifty off 51 balls, was leg before to Zaib for 55, thus ending his 133-run stand with Ackermann.
Durham needed 98 off 20 overs but hardly found it straightforward. Ackermann’s innings ended when he drove Gus Miller to Zaib at cover and Borthwick perished carelessly for 40 when he swept Zaib to Freddie Heldreich two balls later.
Haydon Mustard was bowled for 8 by Keogh but any home nerves caused by the loss of three wickets for four overs were settled by de Leede’s unbeaten 15.
