Slow going for Bears at Edgbaston
Rain, bad light, glowering skies, a slow pitch and cautious batting have made for two less than scintillating days cricket between Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire at Edgbaston.
At the halfway stage of this County Championship match, the contest is still in its first innings with Warwickshire on 311 for seven when rain set in to prevent play after tea on the second day.
With the pitch showing little indication of breaking up to offer the spinners assistance, it is difficult to see this clash of the bottom two teams in Division One producing a decisive result.
The sluggish nature of the pitch, the cricket and the spectacle were all summed up by both teams taking just one bonus point from Warwickshire’s innings. After 110 overs the score was 237 was five.
Adam Hose resumed on the third morning just 16 runs short of his maiden first-class ton. Hose is on 84 from 159 balls with ten fours and two sixes.
After Warwickshire resumed on the second morning on 181 for three, Dominic Sibley (87, 274 balls, six fours) fell in the third over when he edged Luke Fletcher to second slip. Hose then took over the senior role, adding 48 in 14 overs with Liam Banks and, after the latter fell lbw to Matt Carter, 63 in 17 overs with Tim Ambrose.
Steven Mullaney broke through with two wickets in successive overs. Tim Ambrose left a straight one and was lbw to give the Nottinghamshire captain his 100th first-class wicket. Number 101 soon arrived when Henry Brookes was lbw to a big inswinger.
When Jeetan Patel smote his second ball for six over mid-wicket and, with Hose batting with increasing fluency, it appeared that the spectators might be about to see some more lively fare. Immediately, the umpires took the players off for bad light – and then came the rain.
