Nottinghamshire’s Haseeb Hameed, aiming to revive his Test cricket aspirations, notched his first Vitality County Championship century since September 2022 against his former county Lancashire. Despite his unbeaten 137, Nottinghamshire still trail Lancashire’s first innings total by 52 runs at Trent Bridge.
Hameed, who has been dropped twice by England, showcased his batting prowess with 16 boundaries. However, he was fortunate to survive a drop on 104 off Tom Hartley. Hartley, who is set to join the England squad for the upcoming white-ball series against Pakistan and the T20 World Cup, went wicketless in 18 overs.
Lancashire’s George Balderson emerged as the bowling star, claiming 4 for 72 from 22 overs. Balderson, who shared a crucial partnership with Keaton Jennings in Lancashire’s first innings, exploited the conditions effectively.
Lancashire’s 331-run total was boosted by a strong finish on day one, with Tom Bailey contributing an unbeaten 31. Olly Stone, who impressed with the ball on day one, picked up three wickets for 56 runs from 23.2 overs.
Nottinghamshire began their chase aggressively, but Ben Slater’s early dismissal set them back. Hameed and Will Young steadied the innings, but Young’s dismissal for 27 opened the door for Lancashire.
Balderson’s return to the attack proved decisive, as he dismissed Joe Clarke and Tom Moores in quick succession. Jack Haynes provided support to Hameed, who reached his half-century from 99 balls and his century from just 63 more.
Despite Hameed’s heroics, Nottinghamshire suffered another setback before tea when Haynes was dismissed for 35. After tea, Lyndon James and Hameed reduced the deficit, but the second new ball brought success for Lancashire. James was caught at first slip, and Calvin Harrison’s promising innings ended with an edge to second slip.
Nottinghamshire will need to dig deep on day three to match Lancashire’s first innings total and put themselves in a strong position in this Division One encounter.
