Leicestershire 55 for 4 (Palladino 3-3) trail Derbyshire 139 (Madsen 47, Abbas 3-38, Wright 3-39) by 84 runs
Tony Palladino bowled his side back into the match after Derbyshire had been dismissed for just 139 in their County Championship match against Leicestershire at the Fischer County Ground.
Veteran seamer Palladino ended the day having taken three wickets and conceded only three runs from nine overs of medium-paced swing bowling, ensuring a remarkable day’s cricket finished roughly even. He was following the example of Leicestershire’s quartet of seamers, who had earlier taken full advantage of the cloudy conditions.
Mohammad Abbas took 3 for 38 and Chris Wright 3 for 39, while Dieter Klein and Will Davis took two wickets apiece on a pitch which, while offering occasional slight assistance to the bowlers, was far from the minefield the scores might suggest.
Billy Godleman and fellow opener Luis Reece were made to work for every run by the accuracy of Abbas and Wright, but having seen off Abbas, the visitors lost their first wicket when Klein swung a quick delivery back into Reece and won a leg before decision.
Godleman followed without another run being added, edging Wright low to first slip where Paul Horton held the catch. The Leicestershire skipper held his second catch when Davis found the edge of Middlesex loanee Tom Lace, and soon afterwards Abbas got the reward his earlier efforts had deserved when Alex Hughes edged an outswinger to wicket-keeper Lewis Hill.
There was hope for Derbyshire in the form shown by Wayne Madsen, the experienced right-hander stroking eight boundaries in going to an unbeaten 39 at lunch, but he lost partner Harvey Hosein soon after the break, leg before to a full, straight delivery from Wright before himself being given leg before to an Abbas delivery that seamed sharply back.
Matt Critchley was caught chest-high by Colin Ackermann at second slip off Abbas, Anuj Dal held at the second attempt by Harry Dearden at third slip off a full delivery from Wright, and Palladino clipped Davis straight to Hassan Azad at square leg before Ravi Rampaul top-edged an attempted hook at Klein to Wright at long leg.
Leicestershire’s batsmen fared no better, however. Horton was unfortunate, under-edging a wide delivery from Palladino on to his off-stump, but Ateeq Javid was palpably leg before to a straight delivery before Mark Cosgrove edged a Reece ball that bounced more than he expected low to first slip.
Ackermann’s dismissal, leg before playing across the line to Palladino, came shortly before bad light ended play seven overs early, a further ten overs having been lost earlier to showers.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo