When Ashwell Prince stepped back and hammered a four off left-arm spinner Graeme White, he celebrated not just another boundary, but reaching18,000 first-class runs in a career stretching back 20 years.

It was his 88th first-class fifty, to go along with 44 hundreds from 281 matches. Prince, three and a half years after playing the last of his 66 Tests for South Africa, shows no sign of slowing down.

This time last year, the 38-year-old was preparing to retire, but having seen Lancashire relegated to Division Two, he returned to finish unfinished business to get his team back to the top level, and has been playing with freedom and confidence, reminiscent of his glory years. When he reached 61 in this innings, he passed 1,000 Championship runs, scoring along the way four centuries (including a best of 230) and four fifties in 10 matches, at an average of 78.6.

Just for the record, Prince went on to 83 off 102 balls, with 11 fours and a six, as Lancashire chased Northamptonshire’s first-innings total of 438. Lancashire ended the day on 257-4.

Rikki Wessels is at the crease on 25 for Nottinghamshire at an interesting stage of the match against Worcestershire. They lead by 72 with seven wickets remaining at the end of day two after giving away a 43-run lead on the first innings. He contributed 65 to Notts’ first offering of  240 and will need to step up again.

Elsewhere, Pretoria’s  Stephan Myburgh, brother of Johann, scored an unbeaten 67 off 60 balls for Netherlands as they beat Nepal by 18 runs in a tour match in Amstelveen,

It was the backbone of a score of 167, to which Nepal could manage just 116-7 in reply.

Compiled by Mark Salter