Stuart Broad and Jake Ball each took three wickets as Nottinghamshire fought hard to restrict Lancashire’s first innings lead on the second day of their Specsavers County Championship match at Old Trafford.
Both pace men returned identical figures of three for 57 as the home county made their way to 311 for eight at stumps, an overall lead of 69.
Liam Livingstone with an unbeaten 63, and Alex Davies, both passed 50 and Kyle Jarvis was 36 not out at the close of play.
Jackson Bird was perhaps the unluckiest player on show, bowling much better than his figures of nought for 58 would suggest.
The Australian repeatedly beat the bat but spoke for the entire bowling unit when he confirmed it had been a fairly frustrating day.
“Yes it was – obviously it’s a pretty flat wicket but I thought we did well to contain them but after the new ball lost its shine it was tough work,” he said.
“It was disappointing we couldn’t break that partnership at the end of the day there but once it got soft there wasn’t much bounce or movement at all.
“They’re only 69 ahead, so hopefully we can get these last two wickets early tomorrow and then bat well.”
“I feel that the ball is coming out well but that’s how cricket goes sometime. We can still get a positive result in this game, hopefully the wicket will start to go up and down and maybe reverse swing will come into it. If we can get a reasonable lead, you never know on day four.”
Play began with Broad bowling a no ball after over-stepping but then he and Bird settled into a steady line of attack which forced both Lancashire batsmen to be very watchful.
19-year-old Haseeb Hameed went 44 deliveries before he added to his overnight six not out, whilst Luke Procter chanced his arm a time or two with lofted shots through the packed off side.
The Lancashire 50 came up in the 29th over; a stirring fightback after the home side had lost Karl Brown without any runs on the board.
Broad and Bird toiled away manfully for most of the opening hour but then made way for Harry Gurney and Ball, who each had early success.
Gurney had opened his spell with three consecutive maidens and added two more before conceding his first run from his 31st delivery. By that stage he’d removed Procter for 33, caught low down at second slip by Steven Mullaney.
Four balls later, with his first delivery of the day, Ball had Hameed caught behind for 18. The young opener had batted for 144 minutes and faced 99 deliveries in a dogged show of resistance.
Alviro Petersen immediately begun to show his pedigree, with some impressive timing as he sped to 33 not out at lunch.
Mullaney had bowled one over just before the interval and Notts persisted with him upon the restart, to good effect.
Steven Croft had a scare when he was nearly run out after a mix up with Petersen but made his ground to move to 15. On that score he nibbled at Mullaney and edged through to wicketkeeper Read.
Petersen remained the biggest obstacle for the visiting attack, punishing width and running hard to turn ones into twos.
Within sight of a well-deserved 50 he fell though. Broad’s 14th over brought him his first wicket of the summer as Petersen failed to negotiate a delivery that popped on him and looped back to the bowler, to bring his downfall on 48.
Davies and Livingstone joined forces to take Lancashire to their first batting point, with Davies reaching his 50 from 89 balls, with seven fours.
The pair extended their sixth wicket partnership to 72 but then Notts struck after taking the second new ball. Davies was given out lbw to Ball for 55 and then Broad struck twice.
Neil Wagner chipped the pace man to Brendan Taylor in the covers for a single to reduce Lancashire to 229 for seven.
Broad struck Livingstone on the arm with a sharply rising delivery before having James Anderson caught behind for six.
The home county established a first innings lead and then sneaked past 250 for a second batting point.
Livingstone, making his first class debut, brought up his 50 with a push into the off side, from the bowling of Gurney, to reach the milestone from 87 balls with six fours.
The last hour of the day was one of huge frustration for the Notts attack as Livingstone and Jarvis took whatever was on offer and brought the 300 up in the 110th over, leaving the bonus point situation 6-3 in Lancashire’s favour..
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