Northants left searching for answers after another Glamorgan fightback

Glamorgan were on the verge of defeat when they slipped to 60 for eight, but then came some incredible scenes as Marchant de Lange and Dan Douthwaite teamed up.

De Lange smashed a sensational 113 from just 78 balls, including six fours and nine sixes, while Douthwaite delivered 86 from 92 deliveries, with nine fours and three sixes.

It left shell-shocked Northants needing 189 runs to win when they finally wrapped up the innings, and they finished the day on 62 for one, with 127 runs required.

“We could have been smarter with how we bowled," admitted County assistant coach Sadler, who also saw his side let Glamorgan off the hook in the first innings when they went from 135 for nine to 259 all out.

"We could have made them hit more to the longer boundary and with the wind and concentrated on the lengths that worked well against the top order.

“Sometimes if tailenders come in and start playing unorthodox shots it can be hard to trust what you’re doing.

“I’m a bit short of answers but the bowling group are trying to learn.

"It is frustrating but we have to look at the bigger picture and if we’re better placed to deal with this next season then it’ll stand us in good stead.”

Northants are currently bottom of their Bob Willis Trophy group, while Glamorgan are just a place above them.

There had been some early positives with the ball in the second innings for Northants as Jack White (4-35) and Blessing Muzarabani (3-67) looked sharp.

But Glamorgan battled back, with de Lange the star of the show.

"It's incredible from a personal point of view," said de Lange, who had a first-class average of just 15.

"It's amazing to be in the record books, I just wanted to contribute to the team. I just tried to play ball by ball.

"Myself and Dan wanted a partnership, we knew if we just got a bit of bat on that shorter side of the ground, it would go the distance.

"There's no secret to my batting, I try to see ball, hit ball, keep it simple."