Follow UsIt was a painful two days at the Merchant Taylors' School Ground in Northwood for India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who endured one of his worst days on the field in red-ball cricket as he finished with figures of 0/175 in the clash between Northamptonshire and Middlesex.
It was Northants who won the toss and opted to bowl, and it was a decision they regretted instantly as three of Middlesex’s top four batters tonned up, with the other, Sam Robson, managing to get to 57. One of the three Middlesex batters that scored a century was former New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson, who was involved in a 239-run stand with opener Max Holden. Middlesex skipper Leus du Plooy was the other centurion as the side racked up 625/8 before declaring.
Coming back to Chahal, the India leg-spinner, who has never played Test cricket, bowled 43 overs - the highest among all Northants bowlers - bowled just three maidens and conceded 175 runs, going at a run rate of 4.10. It’s his second-most expensive spell in first-class cricket, with the worst coming back in 2012, when he registered 3/235 for Haryana against Tamil Nadu.
In Northants’ previous clash against Kent in Canterbury, Chahal had 0/129 in the first innings but responded with 4/51 in the second innings.