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Emirates Old Trafford
Partly Cloudy
Lancashire
Derbyshire Men
Shoaib Bashir took four for 76, his best figures in domestic cricket, to help Derbyshire fight back on the first day of their Rothesay County Championship match against Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford.
Having only signed for his new county in January, Bashir made the most of his opportunity to bowl on a pitch offering him little help, as Lancashire were dismissed for 351, a total they managed in large part due to Marcus Harris’s 125, his fourth century for the county.
Josh Bohannon had earlier made 73 and put on 146 for the third wicket with Harris. But thanks to Bashir’s late afternoon spell of 10-1-27-3, the game is far more evenly balanced than had seemed likely when Lancashire were 252 for three just before tea.
Ben Aitchison took three for 57 but Derbyshire suffered a late blow when Caleb Jewell chopped on to Mitch Stanley’s last ball of the day, without scoring.
Having been asked to bat, the home side’s innings got off to a dreadful start when they lost both openers to the new ball inside the first five overs. Luke Wells was dismissed for four when he edged Aitchison to Luis Reece at third slip and Harry Singh followed for three just ten minutes later when he nicked a fine ball from Muhammad Abbas to wicketkeeper Brooke Guest.
And things could have got much worse for the home side had Martin Andersson not dropped Bohannon on 28 at third slip off Zak Chappell. Instead, the third-wicket pair steered Lancashire safely to 88 for two at lunch before accelerating thereafter.
The flood of runs began when 21 were scored in the first two overs of the afternoon session and the first personal landmark was reached when Bohannon passed fifty for the second time this season off 93 balls with an edged drive off Abbas. Harris reached his half-century off two fewer balls when he straight drove Chappell to the pavilion and by mid-afternoon, the pair were dominating Derbyshire’s quicker bowlers.
The introduction of Bashir brought Derbyshire a much-needed breakthrough when Bohannon chopped a wideish ball into his stumps and departed for 73, thereby ending his 146-run stand with Harris. However, the former Australia Test batter then hit Anuj Dal for three fours in as many balls and lifted Bashir over long on for six en route to a century which he reached off 153 balls with a two through midwicket off Chappell. He had hit 12 fours and a six.
New batter Michael Jones quickly settled in and the fourth wicket stand stood at 95 in 18 overs when Aitchison coaxed some bounce out of the Manchester surface and Harris edged a low catch to Matthew Montgomery at first slip.
That wicket sent the players into tea with Lancashire on 252 for four and Derbyshire struck again four overs after the resumption when Bashir took a good low two-handed catch off his own bowling to remove Jones for 44. Matty Hurst was the next to go for 32 when he drove Dal straight to Montgomery at cover and Bashir took his third wicket three balls later when he bowled Tom Hartley for 17. Next over, the off-spinner also castled Tom Bailey for a single.
Mitch Stanley was leg before wicket for 10 to give Zak Chappell his first wicket of the season six overs before the close and Aitchison ended the innings and also took his third wicket when he caught and bowled Paul Coughlin for 29. By then, though, Lancashire had collected their third bonus point.
Shoaib Bashir said: “We were staring down the barrel but I thought we pulled it back nicely there. I’ve got long fingers so I was able to get them under the ball for the caught and bowled.
“I was a bit expensive when I first came on but there’s massive job for me to do and I got to execute my plan. I want to be attacking but it’s a very good wicket and I have to find a way to manage the scoring.
“The wicket played very well. There were a few patches that went up and down but I didn’t get much to spin. It’s quite a hard surface.
“I’m in contact with the England management and the ECB. Jeetan Patel’s my go-to man and I have regular conversations with him. Having some game time is quite nice and getting to bowl some overs at this time of year.
“I’m quite young as a spinner and I think we mature quite late. It’s very important to get some exposure to the County Championship and to bowl as many overs as I have. I’ve a job to do in the Championship and I’m just trying to contribute to Derbyshire as much as I can.”
