Raine shines but Notts on top
Sat 8 Apr 2017
Leicestershire versus Nottinghamshire, Specsavers County Championship, Day 2:
SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo HERE
INTERVIEW | Ben Raine spoke to BBC Radio Leicester's Richard Rae at stumps, the interview is HERE
HIGHLIGHTS | The highlights of the second day will be available HERE
REPORT | Ben Raine put in a heroic performance with the ball but James Pattinson and Stuart Broad continued to pose problems for Leicestershire on the second day of the Specsavers County Championship game at the Fischer County Ground.
The all-rounder, who ended with a career-best 6-66 after scoring 55 not out yesterday, helped to reduce Notts to 167-7 before Pattinson (89 not out) and Broad (52) added 122 to help their side post a first innings score of 329.
International duo Pattinson and Broad then shared three wickets with the new ball before Luke Fletcher took a trio of his own as Leicestershire closed at 51-6, still trailing by 27 runs.
Resuming with Notts at 52-1, Jake Libby (31) and Michael Lumb (30) started with intent on a glorious morning by capitalising on anything that strayed in line. Mark Cosgrove made an early double change before the batsmen got completely settled and it paid dividends.
The left-hander was dismissed by a beauty from Raine, who extracted just enough movement to find a feather of an edge and wicket-keeper Ned Eckersley gleefully snapped up the opportunity to end the 64-run alliance.
Clint McKay also found that part of the bat and Libby’s thick outside edge was well taken by a tumbling Colin Ackermann at second slip as County recorded a first bowling point.
Raine then picked up the vital wicket of England international Alex Hales (7), who saw the top of off stump disturbed after one nipped back off the seam and clipped the inside edge.
Notts were now at 91-4 but there is plenty of experience in this batting line-up, underlined with Samit Patel now joining Riki Wessels.
The duo steadied the ship with a stand of 59 either side of lunch. Wessels initially curbed his attacking instincts but prospered after the interval while Patel kept the scoreboard moving throughout his stay.
County remained patient and the approach was rewarded. One wicket often brings two, but in this case three arrived as Raine and McKay again did the damage.
Wessels edged an attempted drive towards Harry Dearden at gully and the young fielder took a sharp chance to end his stay at 24. Then, without addition to the score, a second bowling point was banked as Patel (34) moved across his wicket and was rapped on the pads by a straight McKay delivery.
When visiting captain Chris Read edged Raine through to Eckersley, Notts were looking far from healthy at 167-7.
But their innings was to take the same shape of the home side, with the highest stand coming from the lower middle-order. The Foxes’ best effort came from a position of 169-8 while Pattinson and Broad were combining with Notts having two runs fewer but with an additional wicket in hand.
The Australian hit four terrific drives in the arc between mid-off and mid-on early in his innings while Broad pulled a mighty six and also scored heavily in the vacant third man region as the England all-rounder put his hands through any delivery that offered a fraction of width.
Fellow tall left-hander Broad survived a scare when hooking Chappell high into the clear blue sky as McKay didn’t get under a tough chance with the ball coming over his shoulder as he ran back from mid-on.
Pattinson continued to play beautifully straight; two further fours and a cleanly struck six came in that fashion in Ackermann’s fourth over, the 70th of the innings. The stand was now in excess of 50 with the left-handed duo really taking the attack to the bowlers, and a further four was belted down the ground by Pattinson after Chappell replaced the off-spinner.
An edgy three down to third man recorded Pattinson’s half-century but it was the only moment in the innings that had an element of luck about it. The stylish 50 came off 63 balls and included nine fours and a six.
The partnership moved into three figures as Pattinson dabbed a single into the covers but after Broad moved to a 62-ball 50 (8x4, 1x6), he was leg before to Cosgrove's very next delivery with Notts now at 289-8.
It was a timely blow with the new ball available at the end of the over but Pattinson continued to launch the ball straight, with two boundaries coming in that fashion during McKay’s first over after tea.
Pattinson had his personal highest score by the end of that 85th over though Raine went on to record his best by the end of the innings. He dismissed Luke Fletcher lbw to both complete a five-for and Leicestershire's full set of bowling points, and Harry Gurney, who was expertly held at gully by Dearden.
If the Australian was disappointed at missing out on three figures, then he didn’t show it. The seamer immediately found some movement and Dearden (0) edged behind to Read before Broad trapped Paul Horton (2) lbw.
Pattinson claimed his second wicket by pinning Ackermann (14) lbw with one that came back in for a second time in the match before Fletcher took three wickets in quick succession.
Patel caught Mark Pettini (1) at second slip, Hill was trapped lbw, and Eckersley played on to leave Leicestershire at 39-6. Cosgrove (17*) and nightwatchman Gavin Griffiths (3*) then saw the team to stumps with some watchful defence.
Bowling figures for Leicestershire | Chappell 19-3-78-1, McKay 22-8-59-2, Griffiths 17-6-44-0, Raine 21.3-9-66-6, Ackermann 6-0-35-0, Cosgrove 4-0-28-1.
* Thanks to Ed Melia for the photo of Ben Raine.
