Middlesex Secure Innings Victory Over Northamptonshire in County Championship

Middlesex secured a dominant victory over Northamptonshire by an innings and 107 runs at Merchant Taylors' School, with their bowlers gradually overcoming a determined resistance from the visitors. Despite injuries, Rob Keogh and Saif Zaib showed remarkable resilience, scoring 61 not out and 44 respectively in the second innings, with Zaib also adding 82 in the first innings. Ryan Higgins led the bowling effort, finishing with 4-51 and moving to the top of Middlesex's wicket-taking chart for the season, while Ben Geddes claimed his maiden first-class wicket. Northamptonshire struggled early with key wickets falling, including Lewis McManus and George Bartlett, and were hampered by the absence of spinner Zafar Gohar due to injury. Middlesex's strong batting performance was highlighted by Max Holden's 151 and Kane Williamson's 114 on his Championship debut, contributing to a massive first innings total of 625 for eight. The match also marked a tough day for Northants leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who recorded the worst bowling figures in County Championship history without taking a wicket for Northamptonshire.