A stubborn half century by Nick Selman saw Glamorgan recover from a spell of 3/3 in fourteen balls by Tony Palladino to reach 237 on the second day of their floodlit Specsavers County Championship match against Derbyshire at The SSE SWALEC, trailing by 51 runs.
Close of Play Report
Glamorgan began the final session on 168/5 knowing that the new ball was fourteen overs away. The visitors duly resumed with spin with Selman flicking Jeevan Mendi sto fine –leg for a single to complete a 152-ball fifty. But the Sri Lankan made amends in his next over as he dismissed Selman l.b.w, with Chris Cooke joining Salter with Glamorgan still 118 runs in arrears.
He began by punching Mendi s through extra-cover and mid-off for a pair of firmly struck fours but in attempting a late-cut against the wrist spinner he swatted a ball into the hands of Qadri at point with Glamorgan exactly a hundred runs in arrears. The teenager nearly claimed a maiden wicket next over as Salter was nearly caught at bat-pad. But half a dozen overs later the youngster removed Salter as he edged to slip as Derbyshire were rewarded for opting against taking the new ball.
198/8 saw Marchant de Lange stride to the wicket and he began by driving Qadri for four to secure the first batting point. Graham Wagg then swept Mendis for four as the pair used the long handle to bludgeon a series of singles. Derbyshire duly took the new ball after 89 overs with Milnes and Taylor returning to the attack, as de Lange swatted the latter to square-leg and backward point for a pair of lusty fours.
Wagg also clipped Milnes for four to backward square-leg, but with the total on 237 Taylor ended de Lange’s little cameo as he bowled the paceman before Palladino returned to have Wagg l.b.w. without further addition. Leading by 51 runs, Derbyshire had two overs to face with nightwatchmen Taylor and Palladino safely negotiated as the Peakites ended on 2/0.
7.00pm update
Glamorgan resumed on 87/4 with the Derbyshire spinners Hamidullah Qadri and Jeetan Mendis continuing their spell. Aneurin Donald pulled Mendis for four in the opening over before flat-batting him through cover in his second over of the session, and accompanied by the switching on of the Cardiff floodlights. Selman also swept the Sri Lankan for three with their show of aggression seeing the return of Palladino.
Selman responded by on-driving the seamer shortly before Donald was dropped at slip trying to cut Mendis. Tom Taylor then returned at the River End but Selman and Donald continued their steady accumulation, with the latter safely guiding Milnes through the slip cordon for four before despatching him through the covers for another rasping four.
Mendis then switched to the Cathedral Road End whilst Luis Reece returned at the River End. The latter duly ended the stand which had added 64 in 30 overs as he bowled Donald for 38. Andrew Salter joined the obdurate Selman who flicked Reece to mid-wicket for three and four in successive overs to further chisel away at the deficit.
Selman then on-drove Palladino for four in the penultimate over to reach 49*
4pm update
Yesterday saw the start of a round of day-night Championship matches as the game's authorities looked ahead by experimenting with floodlights and pink balls, it was appropriate therefore that Derbyshire should give a debut to sixteen year-old Hamidullah Qadri. The teenage spinner, born in 2000, duly became the first millennial to play in first-class cricket in the UK, and appeared briefly at the end of an intriguing opening day when the fortunes had literally swung from one side to the other. After Wayne Madsen had seen off the new ball with a forthright half-century, Derbyshire slipped from 99/1 to 157 during a passage of play which saw the floodlights come on and lavish swing for the Glamorgan attack.
Thanks to some late blows by Tom Milnes, the Peakites subsequently recovered to reach 288 and when play resumed at 2pm, Glamorgan’s overnight pairing of Jacques Rudolph and night-watchman Timm van der Gugten were looking to launch a solid response. The latter unfurled some fluent drives in the opening overs including the day’s first four as he drilled Tom Milnes through extra cover.
Van der Gugten also edged Milnes through the slip cordon for four before Rudolph upper-cut Taylor over backward point for another boundary followed by a flowing cover drive through extra-cover. Luis Reece and Tony Palladino then entered the attack with Rudolph cover-driving the former, but the latter made the breakthrough as with his tenth delivery he trapped van der Gugten leg before.
Nick Selman duly made his way to the middle as Rudolph saw Glamorgan to the 50-mark with another cover drive for four against Reece. Selman opened his account with a clip to mid-wicket for three against Palladino, but the seamer claimed a second scalp with the total on 58 as Rudolph edged to first slip where Wayne Madsen completed a regulation catch. It nearly became 62/3 as wicket-keeper Daryn Smit failed to grasp a thick outside edge from Selman.
But five runs later Palladino struck again as Owen Morgan also departed l.b.w. Colin Ingram duly announced his arrival with a trio of booming drives off the front foot against the former Essex seamer. Shortly before the interval Qadri and Jeevan Mendis had a short spell of spin with the latter removing Ingram in the penultimate over as he edged to Gary Wilson at slip.