Bowlers prevail on Day One

Anuj Dal’s was the top score, as bowlers from both sides combined for 15 wickets on Day One of the LV= County Championship fixture against Worcestershire at New Road. 

Dillon Pennington reduced Derbyshire to 14-5 with four wickets in the space of 18 balls after they had been put into bat and, despite a half century from Dal, they were bowled out for 130 in 51.1 overs.

The pace bowler clearly enjoys bowling against Derbyshire after registering career best figures of 5-32 and a match return of 9-76 in the corresponding game last season.

Worcestershire also had initial problems when they launched their reply but Kashif seized his chance following a mountain of runs for the Second Eleven and they closed on 141-5 when bad light and then rain halted play at 5.35pm.

Kashif was the first product of the South Asian Cricket Academy to sign a professional contract with a first class county earlier this season.

Three hundreds and four fifties in his last seven knocks for the Seconds was a testament to his potential and he reached a 72 ball half century.

But he became one of several players during the day who surrendered their wicket to careless shots although there was enough movement on a greenish pitch to keep the seamers interested.

Worcestershire handed a debut to Pakistan pace bowler, Muhammad Hasnain, while batter Kashif Ali made his first Championship appearance after recently signing a short term contract.

Club Captain Brett D’Oliveira was ruled out with a back injury and Vice-Captain, Jake Libby, led the side while Derbyshire were unchanged from the team which drew with Nottinghamshire.

Libby won an important toss on a green tinged wicket and his bowlers soon justified his decision to put Derbyshire into bat.

Joe Leach struck with the last ball of the opening over as Harry Came was plumb lbw to a ball of full length.

But it was Pennington who broke the back of the Derbyshire top order with a superb opening burst of 4-2-3-4 which reduced the visitors to 14-5.

Brooke Guest (2) was bowled offering no shot to a ball angled in and then Wayne Madsen, who began the day needing 32 runs to reach 1,000 for the season, did not reduce that tally as he edged as delivery which nipped away to Josh Baker at fourth slip.

Luis Reece (1) and Hilton Cartwright (0) were both caught behind by Gareth Roderick, after pushing forward to Pennington.

Derbyshire captain, Leus du Plooy, opted for an aggressive response and dominated the scoring during a sixth wicket stand of 39 with Anuj Dal.

But Ed Barnard, who is to join Warwickshire on a three year deal from next season, made further inroads with wickets in successive overs.

Du Plooy, on 38, played with an angled bat at a delivery and gave Baker another catch, this time at third slip, and Mattie McKiernan offered no shot but inside edged onto the stumps.

Derbyshire were then 53-7 and in danger of being bowled out before lunch but resistance came from Dal and Ben Aitchinson

They added 56 in 22 overs before Barnard came back into the attack and had Aitchinson nibbling at a delivery which was safely pouched by Roderick.

Dal mixed solid defence with some classy shots and two cuts for four off spinner Josh Baker enabled him to complete a 104 half century with eight boundaries.

Hasnain had bowled two threatening spells without any luck but cleaned up the tail in classic fast bowler’s fashion as he yorked both Sam Conners and Dal.

Pennington ended with figures of 12-3-36-4, Barnard 12-5-18-3, Hasnain 11.1-0-35-2 and Leach 9-4-16-1.

Worcestershire also ran into trouble against the new ball and found themselves 23-3 in the fifth over.and

Conners knocked out Libby’s off stump with a ball which nipped back and Ed Pollock, having struck Aitchinson for six over mid-wicket, tried to upper cut his next ball and was caught behind.

Taylor Cornall flicked at a leg side delivery from Conners and also found the gloves of Guest.

But the momentum of the game switched into Worcestershire’s favour as Jack Haynes and Kashif Ali counter-attacked during a stand of 97 in 18.4 overs.

Haynes reeled off a succession off delightful cover drives and flicks off his legs why Kashif produced a series of back foot punches which pierced the field.

The pair took Worcestershire into the lead only to then both surrender their wickets to loose shots.

Haynes, on 48, and Kashif, 52, both chased wide deliveries from Conners and Scrimshaw respectively and gave Guest two more catches.

Anuj Dal said: “A very interesting day. Compared to the wickets we’ve played on in the past, this has been more challenging.

“To find us where we were with the bat, was quite difficult to comprehend but we are still in the game, five wickets away from what we hope will be a minimum lead and for us to push on in the second innings.

“You have to recognise the situations you are in and it was important if we just got through a bit of a partnership that it was going to help us.

“From where we were, at 14-5, it was quite a tough position and if we had been 60, 70 all out it would have been very tough to get back into a challenging position.

“It was a tough morning. They bowled incredibly well with the new ball and on a day one wicket anything can happen.

“Going into innings three and four, we know where we’ve got to be, and we’ve got to be looking to bat long.

“It looked a very different wicket when Jack Haynes and Kashif Ali were batting and to get them out before the end was massive.”