Shoaib Bashir took 4-76, his best figures in domestic cricket, to help Derbyshire fight back on the first day of their County Championship match against Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford.
Having only signed his new county in January, Bashir made the most of his opportunity to bowl on a pitch offering him little help, as Lancashire were dismissed for 351, a total they managed in large part due to Marcus Harris’s 125, his fourth century for the county.
Josh Bohannon had earlier made 73 and put on 146 for the third wicket with Harris. But thanks to Bashir’s late afternoon spell of 10-1-27-3, the game is far more evenly balanced than had seemed likely when Lancashire were 252-3 just before tea.
Ben Aitchison took 3-57 but Derbyshire suffered a late blow when Caleb Jewell chopped to Tom Bailey’s last ball of the day without scoring
Having been asked to bat, the home side’s innings got off to a dreadful start when they lost both openers to the new ball inside the first five overs. Luke Wells was dismissed for four when he edged Aitchison to Luis Reece at third slip and Harry Singh followed for three just ten minutes later when he nicked a fine ball from Muhammad Abbas to wicketkeeper Brooke Guest.
And things could have got much worse for the home side had Martin Anderssson not dropped Bohannon on 29 at third slip off Zak Chappell. Instead, the third-wicket pair steered Lancashire safely to 88-2 at lunch before accelerating thereafter.
The flood of runs began when 21 were scored in the first two overs of the afternoon session and the first personal landmark was reached when Bohannon passed fifty for the second time this season off 93 balls with an edged drive off Abbas. Harris reached his half-century off two fewer balls when he straight drove Chappell to the pavilion and by mid-afternoon, the pair were dominating Derbyshire’s quicker bowlers.
The introduction of Bashir brought Derbyshire a much-needed breakthrough when Bohannon chopped a wideish ball into his stumps and departed for 73, thereby ending his 146-run stand with Harris. However, the former Australia Test batsman then hit Anuj Dal for three fours in as many balls and lifted Bashir over long on for six en route to a century which he reached off 153 balls with a two through midwicket off Chappell. He had hit 12 fours and a six.
New batsman Michael Jones quickly settled in and the fourth wicket stand stood at 95 in 18 overs when Aitchison coaxed some bounce out of the Manchester surface and Harris edged a low catch to Matt Montgomery at first slip.
That wicket sent the players into tea with Lancashire on 252-4 and Derbyshire struck again four overs after the resumption when Bashir took a good low two-handed catch off his own bowling to remove Jones for 44.
Matty Hurst was the next to go for 32 when he drove Dal straight to Montgomery at cover and Bashir took his third wicket three balls later when he bowled Tom Hartley for 17. Next over, the off-spinner also castled Tom Bailey for a single.
Mitch Stanley was leg before wicket for 10 to give Zak Chappell his first wicket of the season six overs before the close and Aitchison ended the innings and also took his third wicket when he caught and bowled Paul Coughlin for 29. By then, though, Lancashire had collected their third bonus point.
Report by ECB Reporters’ Network, supported by Rothesay.