A fine spell of three wickets for two runs in seventeen balls by Graham Wagg started a Leicestershire collapse as they were dismissed for 132 on the second day of their match against Glamorgan in the Specsavers County Championship at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. The home side, having amassed a first innings lead of 227 runs were 106/4 in reply at the close .
Evening Report
Glamorgan opted to bat again with a lead of 227 as Stephen Cook and Nick Selman opened the batting with 37 overs remaining in the day’s quota. Cook began by clipping Taylor to the ropes at square-leg for four before Selman on-drove Ben Mike. But with a dozen runs on the board, Cook departed l.b.w. to a full length delivery from Taylor as Murphy made his way to the middle and announced his arrival with a pair of fluent on-drives.
Selman then clipped successive deliveries from Mike to the ropes at square-leg but Dieter Klein came on at the River End and with his sixth delivery trapped the opener l.b.w. 38/2 then became 39/3 as Klein also removed Murphy who edged into Lewis Hill’s gloves. The wickets kept tumbling as Kiran Carlson then departed in similar vein in Gavin Griffiths’ next over. After plenty of reconnaissance, Chris Cooke cover-drove Griffiths to take Glamorgan past the 50-mark before unleashing a booming off-drive against Klein.
Cooke then greeted the return of Mike by flat-batting successive deliveries through extra-cover for fours before cutting Mike to third man as the overall lead went past 300. Lawlor also swept Colin Ackermann for four as the visitors opted for an all-spin attack with Callum Parkinson operating at the River End, with Lawlor also lofting the left-arm twirler for a straight four. This show of aggression saw Klein return for a final salvo in the closing overs, with Cooke cover-driving the left-armer for four to take Glamorgan into three figures.
Afternoon Update
Having lost Colin Ackermann to the last ball before lunch, Leicestershire resumed on 48/2 with Ateeq Javid being joined by Mark Cosgrove. But the Australian departed to his first delivery as he edged a short ball into Cooke’s gloves before Harry Dearden shouldered arms to the hat-trick ball and was nearly bowled. After nearly being run out by the man of the moment – GG Wagg – Javid late cut van der Gugten for four, but to the next delivery he attempted the same stroke and ended up lobbing the ball to Jack Murphy at backward point.
58/4 saw Lewis Hill join Dearden, but there was no keeping the effervescent Wagg out of the action as Hill edged his first delivery to Nick Selman at second slip. Dearden, and being joined by Tom Taylor saw off some hostile overs from Hogan before cover-driving Wagg followed by a pair of thick outside edge for four through the slips as Meschede replaced Wagg, plus a cover drive two overs later. But with the total on 89 Meschede breached Taylor’s defensive prod and clean bowled the debutant.
Meschede struck again in his next over as Ben Mike edged to second slip where a jubilant Nick Selman held another catch as Leicestershire subsided further to 91/7. Kieran Bull then replaced Hogan at the Cathedral Road End and with his ninth ball removed Callum Parkinson who was caught at short-leg by Jeremy Lawlor as the visiting batsman propped forward. Dieter Klein saw his team into three figures by thick-edging Bull for four.
Dearden responded by drilling Bull to wide long-off for four before Klein swatted him to the ropes at square-leg. The latter also cover drove van der Gugten before Dearden chipped Bull to the ropes at mid-wicket followed by a rasping pull to mid-wicket against van der Gugten plus a ferocious on-drive for four. But the Dutchman made amends next ball as the batsman top-edged another swat and skied the ball back to the bowler. Murphy, at backward point, nearly caught a mow next ball by Klein but Hogan returned and had Gavin Griffiths caught behind as Leicestershire were dismissed in the 49th over.
Morning report
As those embroiled in Brexit negotiations will testify, a week is a long time in politics. The cricketers of Leicestershire would wholeheartedly agree having blown away Durham last week in the space of 52.3 overs at Grace Road, with Mohammad Abbas claiming ten wickets. Yesterday at Cardiff and without their talismanic Pakistani bowler, they labored throughout a full quota of 96 overs as Glamorgan amassed 331/8, decorated by vibrant half-centuries from Kiran Carlson and Craig Meschede, and all after the visitors had opted to bowl first on the green-tinged surface.
Ironically, the only batsman to make a duck yesterday was Jack Murphy – the man dubbed by some as “The Rock of Canterbury” – after his defiant efforts last week in Kent, but he fell to a spectacular catch at backward point by Ben Mike. When play began on time at 10.30 this morning, once again under clear blue skies, there were hopes of further runs , with Timm van der Gugten, fresh from his career-best 60 a fortnight ago at Cardiff, unbeaten on 40, having added 63 so far with Kieran Bull who again played with good effect with his ramrod-straight bat, with the efforts of the ninth wicket pair allowing home supporters a chance to dare to dream of further riches in the remaining fourteen overs when batting points are available.
Tom Taylor and Gavin Griffiths duly resumed the bowling duties with the latter being straight-driven by Bull for the day’s first boundary, followed three balls later by the second as van der Gugten carved the seamer over the slip cordon. He then edged Griffiths for a further four en route to his fifty from 63 balls. But next over the Dutchman drove Griffiths to cover where Harry Dearden held onto the waist-high catch, leaving Michael Hogan to see Glamorgan to 350 and another point with an exocet-like drive through mid-off. Hogan then biffed Taylor through point for a pair of two’s, but Griffiths ended the Glamorgan innings on 359 in his next over as Bull feathered a catch low into Lewis Hill’s gloves.
Hogan and van der Gugten were swiftly back into action with the ball as Leicestershire began their reply, with Hogan bowling Sam Evans with his fifth delivery and just two runs on the board. Colin Ackermann announced his arrival in the middle by clipping Hogan to fine-leg for four. Ateeq Javid then clipped van der Gugten to mid-wicket before Ackermann cover-drive Hogan for four. Meschede and Wagg entered the attack after fifty minutes play. Ackermann elegantly off-drove and on-drive Wagg before Javid cover drove Meschede but on the final over before lunch Ackermann edged Wagg into Cooke's gloves.