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Lancashire battle back after Glos start strong

21 April 2022

A promising start by Gloucestershire's opening batters Marcus Harris and Chris Dent ended in disappointment after Dale Benkenstein's side slipped from 119/0 to 252 all out on day one of their County Championship Division One game at Emirates Old Trafford against Lancashire.

At the close, Lancashire were 11 for one after the visitors were dismissed for 252, having chosen to bat, which will no doubt disappoint captain Graeme van Buuren who having won the toss, saw his team go into lunch at 101 unbeaten and hopeful of building a competitive total.

But a calamitous middle session, during which they lost six wickets for just 69 runs, proved decisive as the visiting batters struggled to deal with the accuracy of Pakistani international Hassan Ali who finished with excellent figures of six for 47.

39-year-old Anderson, playing his first competitive cricket since the fourth Ashes Test in January this year, took the new ball alongside Hassan, but looked understandably rusty as Chris Dent and Marcus Harris began the innings in confident fashion.

A change of ends did little to improve Anderson’s fortunes as a chanceless session ended with the introduction of Matt Parkinson who was immediately hoisted into the stands in his first over by Harris.

After lunch the Australian Test opener would get a life on 46 when he was dropped by Luke Wells at first slip off Hassan, but it was Dent who would kick start proceedings for Lancashire when he was caught by Steven Croft at second slip off Hassan for 52.

At 119 for one there looked to be no cause for alarm until Harris departed caught down the leg side off Mahmood for a well-made 67, quickly followed by the in-form James Bracey, who was clean bowled by George Balderson for five with the kind of delivery he was probably expecting from Anderson.

Van Buuren joined the procession, handing another wicket to Mahmood with a leg side catch to Phil Salt for four, before Hassan returned to claim two victims in two balls as Miles Hammond edged to Salt on nine, followed by Tom Lace, who was trapped in front first delivery attempting to play to leg.

From 150 for six, Ryan Higgins and Zafar Gohar staged a recovery with the seventh pair seeing off Anderson’s third spell while milking the inconsistent Danny Lamb for a number of boundaries.

The day’s other England-related subplot, apart from Anderson, probably concerned Parkinson, with the leg spinner’s seven wickets in Lancashire’s win over Kent increasing the clamour for him to be selected in the Test team by the national side’s new regime.

And it was Parkinson who would make the crucial breakthrough in the 79th over of the day when he tempted Zafar down the track for a stumping from Salt that ended a seventh wicket partnership of 65 and saw the Pakistani depart for 27.

Hassan, who is enjoying his arrival in county cricket, took his fourth wicket when Josh Shaw chopped on for 18 and followed quickly with his fifth when Jared Warner was well caught at third slip by Lamb without scoring.

There would be no more spells for Anderson, who finished with figures of 0 for 30 from 16 overs, with Hassan wrapping things up soon afterwards when Ajeet Dale drove loosely to Josh Bohannon at point for four to leave Higgins unbeaten on 51.

Balderson and Wells looked to have safely negotiated a tricky spell of six overs until the former set off for a run that wasn’t there and was left stranded on five as Zafar threw down the stumps to leave the Red Rose 11 for one at the close.

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