Half-centuries for Saif Zaib and Ricardo Vasconcelos prolonged Northamptonshire‘s dwindling promotion hopes on day two of their final County Championship fixture of the season with Middlesex at Lord’s.

Zaib, given a life on 25, battled his way to an unbeaten 83 while the division’s leading run-scorer Vasconcelos made 69 to help the visitors reach 249 for 7 by stumps – a slender lead of 97 on a pitch giving some assistance to spin. Zafar Gohar exploited that turn in the pitch to return 3 for 57 while Tom Helm’s two wickets with the new ball ensured Middlesex were still on top at the close.

Whether or not their stout rearguard leads to a win, Northamptonshire appear destined to come up short in their promotion push given Kent are currently well placed to beat Gloucestershire at Canterbury and so secure second place.

The pitch had morphed overnight from the seamer which had yielded 20 wickets on day one to an unresponsive surface save for some slow turn. It led to an attritional morning where Vasconcelos and Luke Procter played watchfully against tight bowling which largely lacked threat.

Vasconcelos escaped one lbw shout from Helm on 17 which looked adjacent, but other than that was untroubled, two exquisite extra cover drives from his blade the shots of a wicketless morning for the hosts. They didn’t have to wait long after lunch however, Danru Ferns snaring Procter to the second ball following the resumption, though in truth the decision was a shocker, the ball striking Northants’ skipper on the thigh pad.

Lewis McManus, promoted to No. 3 began positively, but Gohar’s entrance brought much needed theatre. Every ball seemed became an act in itself with early lbw shouts against both batters dismissed. Undeterred, Gohar, who’d had something of a spat with the equally combative wicketkeeper McManus while batting on the first evening, produced one which turned away from the bat to be taken at slip by Helm.

It wasn’t long before he pinned Gus Miller in front with one which went straight on, but Zaib counterattacked the spin, sweeping his first ball for four before clubbing the left-armer over midwicket. Aggression though almost his downfall when he pulled one from Ferns straight to deep square on 25 only for Ben Geddes to spill the gift.

By this time Vasconcelos’ watchful innings had passed 50 but Ferns gained recompense for Geddes’ spill when he ended the opener’s vigil with a yorker which trapped him lbw.

When Gohar returned after tea to have Sales brilliantly caught at slip by Sam Robson the lead was only 17. Zaib though was making the most of his earlier reprieve, moving to his fifty complete with six fours, before dispatching a short one from Toby Roland-Jones with the new ball over the ropes at midwicket.

Calvin Harrison stayed over an hour to help add 51 before being one of two victims in an over for Helm, but Ben Sanderson kept Zaib company through to stumps to give Northamptonshire hope heading into day three.