Wood's IPL return brings promise but only one wicket

Durham 115 for 2 trail Derbyshire 427 (Madsen 85, Critchley 64, Godleman 61) by 312 runs
Scorecard

Mark Wood provided England with some encouragement on the second day of the Division Two County Championship match between Derbyshire and Durham at Derby.

The fast bowler generated pace and movement in a 10 over spell and claimed the wicket of Wayne Madsen, feeling more content with his form as the innings progressed.

Wood said: "It's pleasing to come back and get some overs under my belt. I could have bowled a lot better, especially the first day but I was more happy with how it went today.

"I've not played a lot of cricket and been bowling four overs in a day every other day and then racking up 30 in two days is a bit of a shock to the body but I'm pleased I've stood up to it and my rhythm got better the more I went on."

But, for all Wood's efforts, Derbyshire still finished on top after Matt Critchley made 64 and Daryn Smit an unbeaten 45 to take the home side to 427.

Hardus Viljoen then removed Aiden Markram and Will Smith but Cameron Steel and Graham Clark guided Durham to 115 for 2, 312 behind, when bad light ended play early.

England selector Mick Newell watched the morning session and would have been impressed by Wood's opening burst which should have earned him more than one wicket.

Wood swung the ball at pace from the start and he should have celebrated a wicket in the first over of the morning but skipper Paul Collingwood surprisingly grassed a straightforward edge at first slip from Critchley.

There was some consolation for Wood two overs later when he swung one in to have Madsen lbw for 85 but Critchley made the most of his reprieve by guiding the England paceman to third man for his ninth four to reach 50 which came from 63 balls.

He was finally deceived by a slow ball from Collingwood who held a much sharper catch than the one he missed earlier and the former England all-rounder struck again when Viljoen was struck in front.

But Durham's hopes of wrapping up the innings were frustrated by a composed innings from Smit who found a capable partner in Tony Palladino to add 62 in 24 overs.

Derbyshire fell just short of a fifth batting point but Smit and Palladino had put them in a strong position by the time Steel's off-spin defeated Palladino and Collingwood snared a smart one-handed catch at slip to remove Duanne Olivier.

Smit was denied a maiden first-class 50 for Derbyshire when Ravi Rampaul was beaten by a full and straight ball from Dixon which meant Durham had to negotiate a 15 over spell before tea.

They were close to achieving that but in the last over off the session, Viljoen moved one away to take the edge of Markram's bat and two balls after the interval Will Smith's tentative prod cannoned into his stumps.

But Steel and Clark played well in deteriorating light to deny Derbyshire further success before the umpires called a halt at 5.50pm.