Nottinghamshire 212 for 9 (James 92*, Abbas 4-36) vs Hampshire
James, eight away from a first hundred since September 2022, was dropped on 23 and 32 as Hampshire’s slip fielders suffered a day of contrasting fortunes, holding all three chances offered in the morning session but putting down three in the afternoon and another after tea.
Hampshire have an excellent record against Nottinghamshire, winning eight of their last 11 matches, including both of last year’s encounters.
Nottinghamshire, who fielded the same XI that beat Lancashire to break their duck for the season last week, found themselves two down before they had scored a run as Abbas struck in the second and third overs of a new-ball spell in which he did not concede a run until his 35th delivery.
Abbas, who was missing last week due to illness, had Ben Slater caught behind with a ball that nipped away late and dismissed Will Young with one that squared up the New Zealander and took the shoulder of the bat, looping to backward point.
The Pakistan international took a breather after only six overs but there was scant respite for the home side, who were 17 for 3 when Joe Clarke edged to third slip off Kyle Abbott and 37 for 4 when left-armer Keith Barker – making his first appearance of the season – found some extra bounce from the Stuart Broad End and had Haseeb Hameed caught behind, a first dismissal in four innings for the Nottinghamshire captain.
On a green-tinged pitch of somewhat mottled appearance, Hampshire’s decision to bowl first on winning the toss looked the right one.
James Fuller got in on the act by uprooting Tom Moores’s leg stump with a big inswinger before Abbas returned to grab a third scalp as Jack Haynes slashed at a ball outside off stump and was caught at first slip by a tumbling Tom Prest, whose non-appearance after lunch suggested he had injured himself in the process.
If 50 for 6 wasn’t bad enough, it should have been worse still for Nottinghamshire, yet the sharpness in the field that had characterised the morning session for Hampshire deserted them after lunch.
The scoreboard will say that Harrison and James fashioned a recovery in adding 69 but their partnership should have ended on 31 when Michael Neser, fielding as sub in place of Prest at first slip, let one slip through his hands when Harrison was on 9. Barker, the unlucky bowler, suffered again in his next over when James Vince, at third slip, spilled another chance when James was on 23.
James had another let-off on 32 when Fletcha Middleton put him down at second slip off Fuller in what was the easiest of the three chances.
In the event, it took the introduction of Liam Dawson’s left-arm spin to part the seventh-wicket pair when Harrison was bowled by a ball that skidded through low.
Another opportunity went begging after tea as Olly Stone was put down on 9 off Abbas, Vince again the culprit at third slip, the Hampshire captain copping a nasty blow around the base of his left thumb in the attempt. He was able to continue, but only with the aid of strapping and painkillers.
After surviving his two scares, James dug in to reach his second half-century of the season off 135 balls with his fifth boundary, finding some dogged support from Stone, with whom he added another 59 before a slip catch finally stuck, Dawson at second just about getting his fingers under a nick offered by Stone as Abbas, with the second new ball, took his fourth, before the day closed with Dillon Pennington leg before to Abbott.
Nick Gubbins is missing from the Hampshire line-up after becoming a father for the first time earlier this week.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo