It is the height of summer yet none of Lancashire’s batsmen had played a first-class innings for 38 days when they attempted to cope with Hampshire’s accurate attack on the opening morning of this match. In the intervening period some of them have played a format of the game in which removing one’s front foot from the pitch of the ball is frequently an aid to achievement. Perhaps we should not be surprised that batsmen came and went with the rapidity of White House communications staff.
Yet the visiting batsmen’s profligacy is not so easily explained or excused. In the evening session Sean Ervine and James Vince, both of whom play T20 cricket, produced some delightfully fluent orthodox strokeplay to put on 59 in 12 overs before Ervine edged Ryan McLaren to Alex Davies.
How England hopefuls fared
Haseeb Hameed
The 20-year-old’s dismal run of form continued as he made six from 39 balls.
Liam Dawson
Took a wicket and finished day on 20 not out.
Mason Crane
Young leg spinner took three Lancashire wickets.
Chris Woakes
On his Warwickshire return after a side strain he took two wickets.
Explosive opener hit 52 from 50 balls against Gloucestershire.
Four overs later Vince skied a pull off Kyle Jarvis to Stephen Parry at midwicket but by the close Hampshire were only two runs behind and still had five wickets to fall. Lancashire’s first-innings score of 149 is looking inadequate.
The ease with which Vince hit eight boundaries and made 40 off 46 balls was in pleasing contrast to the efforts of most other batsmen. Five of Lancashire’s top order reached double figures yet only Davies made more than 17, and he, like his opening partner Haseeb Hameed, has not played any T20 this season.
Maybe that explains why the first hour of the morning was the most controlled of the visitors’ innings. Hameed batted safely and with restraint for an hour but had made only six off 39 balls when he chased an outswinger from Fidel Edwards and nicked a catch to Jimmy Adams at second slip. That wicket was the first of ten to fall for 110 runs as a series of batsmen played loose shots on a sanded pitch.
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Although Davies, having made 36, was well beaten by a ball from Liam Dawson that turned and bounced, Dane Vilas left the field in obvious annoyance after his loose cut to an innocuous delivery from Ian Holland had edged a catch to Lewis McManus.
Liam Livingstone was leg-before for 16 when he attempted to whack Kyle Abbott across the line. Jos Buttler, having run out Shiv Chanderpaul for 13 when he called the 42-year-old for a sharp single to Mason Crane at backward point, was bowled through the gate by Edwards for 17.
Lancashire lost their last five wickets in 11 overs and their last three in eight balls. The main beneficiary was Crane, who finished with three for 27.