'We needed it' - Sales happy to help Steelbacks claim crucial victory
James Sales was delighted to steer the Steelbacks to a much-needed win at Durham on Friday.
A superb maiden List A century from Sales set Northants up for a first Metro Bank One-Day Cup win in four games this season.
And the talented young batsman said: “Very pleasing, obviously, with the personal milestone but more so to get a win. I feel like we needed it, really.
“I haven’t been a part of the first two games we’ve played, so it’s nice to come back in, make an impact and get back to winning ways.
“I haven’t had anything like that before (injury). I rolled my ankle in training. I got a scan, and luckily everything came back clear. But I’ve had a bit of time off the feet to get ready for this game.
“We’ve spoken about making sure we can load up for the back end of the innings. The pitch was a bit poppy and stoppy at times.
“It was great batting with Tim (Robinson) and Broady (Justin Broad). They took the pressure off me and allowed me to play the way I wanted to.
“It was a great start from the boys. To get their big key wickets early was a massive positive for us. We kept the pressure on from there and took wickets when we could.”
Durham were bowled out for just 171 in reply to the Steelbacks' 321 for eight.
“We’ve had two awful days at the office, to be honest (Middlesex and here)," said Durham head coach Ryan Campbell. “Not acceptable for what we pride ourselves on.
“Obviously, the other day there was some unbelievable batting. We didn’t bowl so well.
“Today, we were out-pointed. I thought we started really well with the ball, but we couldn’t stem the tide once the partnership got going. That’s credit to the batters, but our bowling staff have to understand that you’re going to get put under pressure in this competition and you have to find a way.
“At the minute, we’re not finding a way. That’s disappointing.
“We have to take a breath and dig deep.
“We saw a 17-year-old (Robbie Bowman) debut, and he did a really good job.
“But we have senior players who need to put their hands up.
"Two days ago, they were unbelievable with the bat. Today, we were really poor.”