Northamptonshire take 5th straight win beating Durham by 7 runs

Northamptonshire continued their fabulous start to this season’s Vitality Blast with a thrilling bowler-dominated seven-run win over Durham at the Banks Homes Riverside, defending a 146-target.

Match Analysis

By Graham Hardcastle, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay

The Steelbacks claimed this low-scoring cross-group clash to secure a fifth straight win and strengthen their position atop the Central and West Group.

They were particularly impressive in defence as North Group side Durham – 138 for eight – lost their third game in five. The seam of James Sales comfortably defended 14 off the last over and finished with two for 10 from two. Ben McKinney top-scored with 33 for Durham.

Northamptonshire’s 145 for nine saw Justin Broad top-score with 36 off 32 balls. Left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson was excellent with three for 19. Pacy Kasey Aldridge also struck twice and claimed three catches.

Parkinson removed Australian overseas duo Chris Lynn and Nathan McSweeney cheaply – both caught at cover. Ben Raine then had opener Ricardo Vasconcelos caught behind in the powerplay.

Captain David Willey set the ball rolling on a recovery with 26 but holed out to long-off against Parkinson – 72 for four in the 12th over.

Broad twice heaved leg-side sixes whilst sharing 47 for the fifth wicket with Saif Zaib, who contributed 25.

But full-throttle acceleration was tricky on this sluggish surface, and Durham took five wickets for 26 inside the final four overs of the innings.

Nathan Sowter’s miserly leg-spin accounted for Zaib before Broad miscued Raine’s seam to long-on. Aldridge picked up his two wickets in that period, including a fine swirling caught and bowled effort to remove Lewis McManus.

Willey then struck with the first ball of Durham’s chase as Graham Clark loosely guided a back-of-a-length ball to backward point, though McKinney was quickly into his stride.

He twice pushed Willey back down the ground for early boundaries before taking two fours and a six off McSweeney’s off-spin as 16 came off the fourth over. The six, over long-on thudded into the bottom floor of the Riverside’s Media Centre.

However, excellent Ben Sanderson (two for 26) struck with successive deliveries in the fifth over as the score became 41 for three. He uprooted Alex Lees’ leg-stump before trapping Ollie Robinson lbw.

And when McKinney skewed Zaib’s first ball of left-arm spin to backward point to fall for 33, the Steelbacks held sway at 53 for four in the eighth.

McSweeney then had a hand in the next two wickets as the score fell to 90 for six in the 14th over. He had Colin Ackermann caught at cover and ran Aldridge out at the striker’s end with a throw running in from deep midwicket to prevent a second.

Will Rhodes and Raine tried to recover, only for the latter to be bowled by Sales – 113 for seven after 17.

The target became 24 off the last two overs and 14 off the last with Rhodes on 29 and T20 debutant bowler James Minto at the crease.

Nerveless Sales had Rhodes caught at mid-off for 31 in the last.

Durham captain Alex Lees said

“At the halfway point, we thought we could chase it. I think Dave (Willey) said, it was quite a challenging surface. We’ve had a couple now that we’ve probably not known what we were going to get.

“Bitterly disappointed. There were regular wickets, and some old-school T20 cricket was probably needed and not the crash, bang, wallop that we’re used to now.

“I think had a more experienced player got a run-a-ball 50, it might have been enough.

“The batters probably felt like they couldn’t access the boundaries that easily.

“It’s obviously a big ground here, and you have to try and skin it a different way. But we just didn’t have enough at the back end.”

Northamptonshire’s Ben Sanderson, who suffered a dislocated finger late in his spell, said

“The finger’s a bit sore now, and it’s going a bit blue, which is a bit worrying. But it’s all good.

“We watched how they bowled on it and took away what we could. Pace off was the key, especially at the end when it’s sticking in the wicket like it was.

“It was a real team effort to defend that score.

“We probably thought we were light at half-time. We wanted 150 or 160 on that pitch.

“But, the way we’re playing our cricket at the minute, we’ve got that belief that we can do anything. Long may that continue.”

Match Summary

Durham vs Northamptonshire, Match 44, Vitality Blast

Durham 138/8 (20 ov)

Northamptonshire 145/9 (20 ov)

Northamptonshire won by 7 runs

SCORECARD

Worm

YOU STEELBACKSSS ??

MAKE THAT FIVE WINS FROM FIVE ??#MadeOfSteel??? pic.twitter.com/QT5AEU5yX6

— Northamptonshire Steelbacks (@NorthantsCCC) June 6, 2026

Match Stats

Durham Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Graham Clark – 0.1 ov), 2-41 (Alex Lees – 4.2 ov), 3-41 (Oliver George Robinson – 4.3 ov), 4-53 (Ben McKinney – 7.1 ov), 5-77 (Colin Ackermann – 10.3 ov), 6-91 (Kasey Aldridge – 13.3 ov), 7-113 (Ben Raine – 16.6 ov), 8-135 (Will Rhodes – 19.4 ov)

Northamptonshire Fall of wickets: 1-16 (Chris Lynn – 1.4 ov), 2-24 (Nathan McSweeney – 3.4 ov), 3-39 (Ricardo Vasconcelos – 5.5 ov), 4-72 (David Willey – 11.1 ov), 5-119 (Saif Zaib – 16.1 ov), 6-127 (Justin Broad – 17.3 ov), 7-131 (Lewis McManus – 18.2 ov), 8-134 (Calvin Harrison – 18.5 ov), 9-145 (James Sales – 19.6 ov)

Manhattan

Playing XI

Durham