Northamptonshire v Sri Lankans
Wisden's review of the Tour match, Northamptonshire v Sri Lankans
15-Apr-2015
At Northampton, June 5-8. Drawn. Toss: Sri Lankans. First-class debuts: C. A. Barrett, J. M. Kettleborough.
Sri Lanka's batsmen thrived in the only warm-up game for the Test series. Silva batted throughout the first day, much of it with Thirimanne - dropped first ball by Duckett off Crook - in a stand worth 238. Silva did not resume next morning, pleading stomach trouble (although he was well enough later to field at short leg). Thirimanne, though, swept on to 156, and the lower order lifted the total to 558, Dilruwan Perera smacking four sixes. Northamptonshire made a poor start, losing the debutant James Kettleborough to his first ball, and at 113 for five a sixth successive first-class defeat looked likely. But, either side of the third-day washout, Keogh batted more than five hours for 120, Northamptonshire's first hundred of the first-class season. Spriegel stayed with him for more than two hours, and Willey and South African triallist Chad Barrett for an hour apiece, effectively sealing the draw. As his bowlers had enjoyed a decent workout - Prasad and off-spinner Perera both took four wickets, although neither was selected for the First Test - Thirimanne waived the follow-on, and the match petered out.
Close of play: first day, Sri Lankans 358-3 (Silva 152, Thirimanne 120); second day, Northamptonshire 146-5 (Keogh 26, Spriegel 11); third day, no play.
Sri Lanka's batsmen thrived in the only warm-up game for the Test series. Silva batted throughout the first day, much of it with Thirimanne - dropped first ball by Duckett off Crook - in a stand worth 238. Silva did not resume next morning, pleading stomach trouble (although he was well enough later to field at short leg). Thirimanne, though, swept on to 156, and the lower order lifted the total to 558, Dilruwan Perera smacking four sixes. Northamptonshire made a poor start, losing the debutant James Kettleborough to his first ball, and at 113 for five a sixth successive first-class defeat looked likely. But, either side of the third-day washout, Keogh batted more than five hours for 120, Northamptonshire's first hundred of the first-class season. Spriegel stayed with him for more than two hours, and Willey and South African triallist Chad Barrett for an hour apiece, effectively sealing the draw. As his bowlers had enjoyed a decent workout - Prasad and off-spinner Perera both took four wickets, although neither was selected for the First Test - Thirimanne waived the follow-on, and the match petered out.
Close of play: first day, Sri Lankans 358-3 (Silva 152, Thirimanne 120); second day, Northamptonshire 146-5 (Keogh 26, Spriegel 11); third day, no play.