Ricardo Vasconcelos scored his first century for Northamptonshire on Sunday.

Vasconcelos struck a superb 140 against Middlesex at Northampton in Division Two of the County Championship, writes JONHENRY WILSON. A left-handed batsman and wicketkeeper, Vasconcelos had previously played for Boland prior to signing for Northants, and has now twice scored 140 in first-class cricket. His third first-class century innings took him past 1,000 runs in first-class cricket in his 17th match.

Vasconcelos’ vigil was particularly important after the early departures of Luke Procter and Ben Duckett – and spanned the fourth-wicket partnership alongside former Proteas opener Richard Levi to the tune of 77 runs.

The 20-year-old faced 210 deliveries during an innings that stretched beyond four hours at the crease, exemplifying the type of patience required to succeed at the highest level.

Confident on the cut, accomplished on the pull and sound on the drive, the talented left-hander gathered 20 boundaries before he was bowled by seamer Ethan Bamber.

Northamptonshire, collectively riding on the individual success of Vasconcelos, moved to a formidable 332 for eight at the close of play on the opening day of the key four-day encounter.

Vasconcelos’ work is far from over in this match, as the talented wicketkeeper will have a role to play when Middlesex bat and face a Northants seam attack that includes former South African Test cricketer Rory Kleinveldt, against an opposition order lined with international prowess in Sam Robson, Eoin Morgan and Dawid Malan.

Malan, of course, also played for Boland prior to committing to a career in England. Vasconcelos’ path, evidently, is headed in the same direction.

Here's a taster of the chat we had with @TheVasco27 after his first century for Northamptonshire! Check out the full interview now on our app! pic.twitter.com/A2MTttwwLu

— NCCC (@NorthantsCCC) August 19, 2018

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Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images