Nottinghamshire 399 and 151 for 7 (Duckett 63, Smith 4-29) lead Worcestershire 355 (Jones 90, Smith 58, D’Oliveira 54, Harrison 5-128) lead by 195 runs
With heavy showers forecast for Monday morning, Nottinghamshire, needing fast progress, belted 57 from a dozen overs both aspect of tea in a gap stand of 81. It’s now extra a query of whether or not they’re bowled out earlier than they can set a goal.
The guests resumed their in a single day seventh-wicket partnership and had added precisely 50 extra runs earlier than sluggish left-armer Liam Patterson-White, with just one wicket in 5 video games of a tough 2023 marketing campaign, gained a primary success this 12 months when Brett D’Oliveira fell leg-before for 54.
However Smith, a ok No. 8 to have hit 100 and common 27 again in New Zealand, continued previous his fifty from 103 balls after Baker, deceived within the flight, gave Harrison his fourth wicket by way of a 3rd return catch. As soon as Joe Leach, no rabbit both, had escaped a run-out likelihood on one, lunch got here at 331 for eight.
Harrison was briefly stood down – following 36 consecutive overs from earlier than tea on Saturday however no maiden till his twenty sixth – and it was Dillon Pennington with the brand new ball who lastly had Smith caught, hooking to the deep. The return of Harrison undid the final man and left Leach unbeaten with 48.
Harrison’s figures, 36.3-2-128-5, evoked these of wrist-spinners of one other period and had been accomplished whilst, down in Chelmsford, fellow leggie Matt Critchley took his first five-wicket bag since becoming a member of Essex in 2022. With Cameron Metal additionally taking a maiden five-for for Surrey within the opening spherical final week, the Kookaburra ball has not less than given leg-spin an opportunity.
However it actually could not stifle Smith, tearing in from the Stuart Broad Finish in late sunshine after Haseeb Hameed skied a catch to level for 40 off Baker’s left-arm spin. In his eighth over, Smith had Duckett caught at sq. leg, flicking a ball off his hip, noticed Joe Clarke fantastically caught by the diving keeper, then shot out Matt Montgomery, a second duck, leg-before.
He reached the shut with figures of 11-4-29-4, which means that Nottinghamshire stands out as the keener of the 2 sides to hope that rain does certainly arrive on the ultimate day.
