NORTHAMPTON

(Day three of four: Northampton won toss)

Middlesex 545-7dec (133.5 overs, AJ Strauss 172, EJG Morgan 136 not out, OA Shah 114, MS Panesar 5-137) and 171-2dec (34 overs, AJ Strauss 76, WA Godleman 55); Northamptonshire 256 (70.5 overs, MH Wessels 78, SD Udal 5-36) and 84-1 (18 overs, RA White 55 not out)

Lunch

If the more apocalyptic reports are to be believed, Hank Paulson, the US Treasury Secretary, and his colleagues have about 24 hours to save the planet. For their part, Northamptonshire do not seem likely to manage the five hours or so they need to bat in order to save the follow-on.

Requiring 268 more overnight to make Middlesex go in again, they were given a poor lead by David Sales, the senior batsman, when a head-up drive after 20 minutes saw his stumps comprehensively demolished by Alan Richardson. Out for 45, he was replaced by Mark Nelson but, after seven overs, the novice was bowled for nine when Shaun Udal, the veteran spinner, turned one away from the left-hander just enough to clip off stump.

The fortunate Rike Wessels had already been reprieved at second slip off Richardson when 43 and should have gone to the same bowler on 58. Nicky Boje, the home captain, had given permission for a substitute wicketkeeper to be summoned overnight to cover for Ben Scott's pulled muscle and the 20-year-old former England Under-19 player, John Simpson, duly took the gloves. Sadly, he was in the act of celebrating his first catch, off Wessels, when he dropped the ball.

But Wessels, having a mighty swipe, was leg-before to Udal for 78 and, with Boje, the captain, on 21, Northamptonshire still trailed by 306 at lunch, needing another 157 to evade the follow-on.

Tea

Taking three further wickets in 19 balls without conceding a run, Udal, who turns 40 next March, duly bettered the 4-14 he famously claimed for England against India in Bombay shortly after his 37th birthday and completed his first five-wicket bag in more than three years.

Northamptonshire were bowled out in 59 balls after lunch but Udal, mindful both that he lacks a fifth bowler with Dirk Nannes injured and that the pitch should help spin even more on the final day, declined the follow-on. Middlesex, building at breakneck pace on their 289-run first-innings lead, will surely declare after tea.

They will be mindful, however, that Northamptonshire's last championship defeat was as long ago as April 26 when, on the same square, they challenged Warwickshire to make 383 and lost. It is hard to believe the home side can bat as recklessly again as they did at the first attempt: after lunch, Steven Crook, cutting rashly, chopped on, Boje chipped lamely to mid-on and, after David Lucas was yorked by Richardson, Monty Panesar miscued a waft to cover.

As Middlesex's openers put on their second century stand of the match for the first time since 1999, Andrew Strauss racing to his fifty from only 49 balls, the lead at the interval was already 406 with an effective minimum of 126 overs to come in the match.

Close

The openers maintained their blistering pace as Middlesex hammered 171-2 at five per over before the declaration left a target of 461 in a minimum of 114 overs. Strauss made 76 from 75 balls and Godleman 55 from 82, both losing middle stump to Panesar in the bid for yet swifter runs.

Northamptonshire showed more application at the second attempt and it took a magnificent catch from Owais Shah at third slip to remove Steve Peters for two in the fifth over. But Rob White, never one to decline attack, arrived to outscore even Strauss earlier as he surged past fifty in 32 balls.

At the close, Northamptonshire needed 377 from the full 96 overs of the final day at a feasible 3.93 per over though Middlesex, attempting a second consecutive win in their three games under Udal, remained the likelier victors.