Patel makes light work of Wagner's efforts

Nottinghamshire 303 for 5 (Libby 54, Patel 51*) lead Lancashire 276 (Smith 70, Tahir 4-81) by 27 runs
Scorecard

Just when it seemed summer had finally broken out, a blanket of cloud settled over Trent Bridge to enliven the day with a touch of spectator disgruntlement as umpires Alex Wharf and Martin Saggers called time on Neil Wagner's attempt to prise out Nottinghamshire's Samit Patel through an exploration of old-fashioned leg theory.

Bowling from the Pavilion End, the New Zealand fast bowler had aimed a series of short-pitched deliveries intended to cramp up Patel and positioned fielders in close catching positions on the leg side. The tactic was producing debatable benefits. Despite light gloomy enough to require the floodlights to be switched on, Patel had found the boundary twice in four deliveries with a couple of wristy flicks and didn't appear to be in particular difficulty.

Yet as the lights began to appear brighter against the greyness of the sky, a debate began in which the umpires offered Lancashire the usual option of continuing with slower bowlers only. This was declined and the players walked off to the noisy displeasure of the Radcliffe Road Upper, which was understandable given that they could see an hour's potential play disappearing on a day mercifully free of rain.

There should be no blaming the officials in these circumstances, though. They have a duty of care to the batsmen. What's more, there had been a number of short-pitched balls from the Pavilion End that had failed to get up, including one that Wagner himself had inadvertently ducked into the night before.

In the event, the players returned with only four overs lost of a second day that followed the pattern of the first after Lancashire's first innings had ended with the 11th ball of the morning. Where the visitors had been 109 for 1 after the opening session on Sunday, Nottinghamshire were 120 for 1; at tea the home side were 212 for 4 compared with Lancashire's 192 for 4.

The crucial difference is that Nottinghamshire lost only one more wicket after tea and, with a lead of 27, a third batting point secured and Patel still with a batsman for company, have an opportunity to give themselves a margin to work with on the third day

Lancashire, for their part, will feel they could have bowled better. After Imran Tahir's top-spinner had trapped Matt Parkinson leg before to claim the final Lancashire wicket, Nottinghamshire openers Steven Mullaney and Jake Libby were able to progress as briskly as Tom Smith and Haseeb Hameed had at the corresponding stage of the Lancashire first innings. The two approached the task with a positive mindset from the outset, pouncing on anything wide or overpitched on a surface where the ball tended to sit up to be hit.

Mullaney, pulling, had an escape on 33 when Parkinson spilled what should have been a straightforward catch on the square-leg boundary off Kyle Jarvis and Libby edged the next delivery between second and third slips. But Lancashire's only breakthrough before lunch came when Mullaney bottom edged a cut shot against Jarvis into his stumps.

Libby completed a half-century from 88 balls but Nottinghamshire's batsmen proved no more capable than Lancashire's of turning solid starts into substantial scores. The right-hander, who made his second first-class century during an early-season loan spell at Northamptonshire, had not added to his 54 at lunch when he feathered a catch to wicketkeeper Steven Croft off Neil Wagner.

Lancashire bowled better lines in the afternoon but Nottinghamshire will feel nonetheless that there were some wasted opportunities. Greg Smith was beginning to strike the ball cleanly, pulling Jarvis for four but was leg before when the next delivery arrived fuller and straighter.

Brendan Taylor could consider himself a little unfortunate. He launched a couple of huge sixes off Parkinson, a young legspinner who gives the ball some air and a good tweak, but got into a pickle against a short ball from Jordan Clark that was among those that climbed less than anticipated and was caught at short third man off something resembling his uppercut, although possibly an unintentional one.

That wicket made the middle session Lancashire's but although Michael Lumb was another who failed to build on a solid start, the partnership between Patel and Riki Wessels added 62 in what remained, with eight overs ultimately lost.