SECOND XI REPORT: Mahmood makes welcome return
Saqib Mahmood made a welcome return as this Second XI Championship game with Durham finally got under way after the first day was lost to rain. It was however, a truncated second day after further rain just before lunch led to a three and a quarter hour delay.
In the 55 overs possible, Durham made 181-2 after winning the toss with Mahmood, having bowled on the pre-season tour and back in competitive action for the first time since last May, getting through nine overs in a couple of spells and taking the wicket of Bas de Leede when the batter top edged a pull off a short delivery to Harry Birkman at midwicket after making 35.
That was the second wicket of the day to fall, and Mahmood had been involved in the first one when left hand opener Ben McKinney dragged a drive off left arm spinner Charlie Barnard into Mahmood’s hands at midwicket for 22.
Durham had reached 36-1 from the 19.2 overs possible as the players dodged the showers before lunch with opening bat Michael Jones hitting the first two deliveries of the 20th over for six just as the rain arrived to halt any further action.
When play resumed at 4.10pm Jones moved on steadily to reach his fifty from 93 balls and finish unbeaten on 92 after hitting 9 boundaries, plus those two sixes, from a mixture of booming drives and fierce pull shots.
Jones’ partnership with de Leede was worth 76 runs and by the close his third wicket alliance Jonathan Bushnell (25 not out) had realised 71 with the chance to add to that when the third day resumes at 11am tomorrow.
TEAMS
Lancashire: Harry Singh, Kesh Fonseka, George Lavelle (capt/wkt), Rocky Flintoff, Tom Aspinwall, Josh Boyden, Corey Flintoff, Saqib Mahmood, Charlie Barnard, Haider Hussain, Harry Birkman, Charlie Parkinson.
Durham: Ben McKinney (capt), Haydon Mustard (wkt), Jon Bushnell, Bas de Leede, George Drissell, Danny Hogg, Callum Gaffney, Mitch Killeen, Michael Jones, Oliver Gibson, George Darwood, Luke Robinson.