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 quick progress, belted 57 from a dozen overs either side of tea in an opening stand of 81. It is now more a question of whether they are bowled out before they are able to set a target.
The visitors resumed their overnight seventh-wicket partnership and had added exactly 50 more runs before slow left-armer Liam Patterson-White, with only one wicket in five games of a difficult 2023 campaign, gained a first success this year when Brett D’Oliveira fell leg-before for 54.
But Smith, a good enough No. 8 to have hit a hundred and average 27 back in New Zealand, continued past his fifty from 103 balls after Baker, deceived in the flight, gave Harrison his fourth wicket via a third return catch. Once Joe Leach, no rabbit either, had escaped a run-out chance on one, lunch came at 331 for eight.
Harrison was briefly stood down – following 36 consecutive overs from before tea on Saturday but no maiden until his 26th – and it was Dillon Pennington with the new ball who finally had Smith caught, hooking to the deep. The return of Harrison undid the last man and left Leach unbeaten with 48.
Harrison’s figures, 36.3-2-128-5, evoked those of wrist-spinners of another era and were completed even as, down in Chelmsford, fellow leggie Matt Critchley took his first five-wicket bag since joining Essex in 2022. With Cameron Steel also taking a maiden five-for for Surrey in the opening round last week, the Kookaburra ball has at least given leg-spin a chance.
But it certainly couldn’t stifle Smith, tearing in from the Stuart Broad End in late sunshine after Haseeb Hameed skied a catch to point for 40 off Baker’s left-arm spin. In his eighth over, Smith had Duckett caught at square leg, flicking a ball off his hip, saw Joe Clarke superbly caught by the diving keeper, then shot out Matt Montgomery, a second duck, leg-before.
He reached the close with figures of 11-4-29-4, meaning that Nottinghamshire may be the keener of the two sides to hope that rain does indeed arrive on the final day.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo