Sajid Mahmood shines with the ball as Lancashire gain momentum against Somerset

Lancashire were in a decent position in a match of the County Championship Division One against Somerset, at Aigburth, Liverpool in England. Somerset were bowled out for 268 in their first innings and the hosts reached 70 runs without any wicket, until close of the first day’s play.

Conditions were good for batting, as there was no pace and movement in the pitch for the bowlers. This forced the visitors’ captain Marcus Trescothick to bat first after winning the toss. However, his team were unable to post a big first innings total in batting friendly conditions.

The start was not an ideal one for the visitors, as they lost their captain in the very first over of the innings. The seasoned left-hander struck a stylish boundary off the very first ball he faced, but was sent back to the pavilion on the very next ball. His opening partner Arul Suppiah was also unable to make an impression, as he was dismissed after adding 14 runs to the total.

Somerset were struggling at that stage with 28 runs on the board and both openers back in the hut. However, first-drop Nick Compton and two-down batsman James Hildreth played brilliant cricket, guiding their team out of trouble.

The pair scored 101 runs for the third wicket, before Hildreth got out. He did a terrific job for his team though, scoring 55 runs off 69 balls with the help of seven fours in his innings.

Compton also scored a half-century, but he failed to carry onto the start he got. He was dismissed after scoring 61 runs from 124 balls, hitting nine fours in his knock.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Craig Kieswetter also batted with responsibility, scoring 53 runs for his team. The stylish right-hander was unable to find support from the other end and finally got dismissed, attempting to score some quick runs.

The bowlers of the home team did an excellent job, restricting Somerset below 300 runs on a good batting track. Sajid Mahmood led the attack, taking three wickets in the innings for his team. He found good support from Gary Keedy, who also chipped in with three wickets.

There were plenty of overs left in the day and Lancashire’s openers Paul Horton and Stephen Moore walked out at the crease to face the music. They batted nicely, scoring an unbeaten partnership of 70 runs for the opening wicket. Moore played aggressive cricket, reaching 52 runs in just 63 balls with the help of nine fours. His partner was in defensive mode, as he scored 14 runs from 58 balls before the day was called-off by the umpires.