Gloucestershire’s Marcus Harris was in incredible form on day two of their County Championship match with Northamptonshire. It was his third century in only nine innings. The crowd went wild as the Australian batsman pumped life into Lancashire’s innings. He had scored a spectacular 121 runs off 230 deliveries, merging 18 boundaries in the process. His performance all but secured his spot as the top run scorer in county cricket this season. He has a world record total of 706 runs.
Harris started the day in a good position having set a solid platform for the innings with a vital partnership with Matty Hurst for the fourth wicket. The experienced duo took their partnership to 125 runs, firmly establishing Lancashire’s grip on the match. Harris impressed with his acute batting prowess and ability to absorb pressure throughout the innings. He was saved by Fortune’s favour as Northamptonshire’s slip cordon dropped four difficult chances to get him while he sat on 82 runs.
He continued to build on that momentum and was able to raise his century, a fitting landmark in what’s been a successful County Championship campaign so far for him. He remained an equally intimidating presence off the field. He was let go, eventually, by Luke Procter, who took his 100th first-class wicket in that game, and promptly hauled him away.
Lancashire’s innings benefited not only from Harris’s contributions but from Hurst’s steadfast support. Together, they created a dynamic duo that was a model of collaboration and tactical hitting. Action from them made it possible to set a difficult target for Northamptonshire, who found it difficult to mount an appropriate rebuttal.
Procter made his own celebrations, marking the milestone dismissal of his career 100th wicket for Northamptonshire. The final highlighted the forefront of Harris’s skill and genius as a batsman. His new figure of 706 runs now has him leading the county cricket charge this season with the most runs scored by any player.
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