Essex 126 and 86 for 4 (Westley 28, Rushworth 2-21) trail Warwickshire 242 (Rhodes 63, Hasan 53*, Bracewell 4-51) by 30 runs
A buccaneering tenth-wicket stand of 70 restored Warwickshire’s control after Essex fought back hard on the second day of their captivating LV=Insurance County Championship match at Edgbaston.
Essex closed day two on 86 for 4, still trailing by 30, in a mesmeric contest between two potential title-challengers.
The wagging tail extended the lead to an imposing 116 and piled the pressure back on Essex who need their middle and lower orders to bat big tomorrow. Further twists are likely in a match which has fluctuated wildly throughout.
Shane Snater triggered the collapse with a brace of excellent balls which did for Hain and Dan Mousley in successive overs. Ed Barnard batted attractively for 28 but Bracewell’s removal of him, bowled through a drive, triggered the loss of five wickets in 32 balls. Sam Cook trapped Danny Briggs lbw while Bracewell forced fatal edges from Michael Burgess, Chris Rushworth and Rhodes who, having batted with great responsibility, departed cursing himself at being lured into reaching outside off stump.
From 172 for 9, Warwickshire’s last pair brought the crowd to its feet with an audacious counter attack. Hasan Ali began it by launching Cook twice into the Hollies Stand. Hannon-Dalby joined in with successive sixes pulled off Bracewell to raise the 50 stand from as many balls. Hasan located the seating again to bring up his half-century from 33 balls. When Hannon-Dalby finally edged Snater behind, the flow of the match had reversed spectacularly again.
Second time around, Essex lost Nick Browne, bowled by Rushworth in the third over. Tom Westley and Alastair Cook started to put down roots of the hefty stand their team required but fell lbw in the space of three overs. Barnard ousted Westley before Hassan dismissed Cook. On a damp, grey afternoon, in front of a smattering of Championship diehards, the former England captain trudged off the Edgbaston field where he enjoyed some of his greatest moments – 294 vs India, 243 vs West Indies – for almost certainly the last time: a poignant dimension to two days of cricket with more angles than you can shake a stick at.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo