Haseeb Hameed was on fire for Nottinghamshire in the current county championship fixture. He went on to score an equally impressive unbeaten 103 runs against Somerset. His century – the 18th of his first-class career – took Nottinghamshire to a commanding position at 189 for 2. They remain 249 runs behind Somerset.
The first test match was played at England’s legendary Trent Bridge cricket ground in Nottingham — a perfect setting for Hameed’s fine innings to be his true batting special over. He brought up his century with a controlled drive to the long-on fence to bring up his hundred off 91 balls. This stunning innings included 15 fours and two sixes. His subsequent record guest performance of over 1,000 first class runs for the season only serves to further highlight just how impressive Hameed’s form is.
Hameed’s knock was built on patience and craft, with Afghanistan proving elusive in his pursuit of a half-century which came off 87 balls. His relentless but calm demeanor let him find his rhythm and gain the momentum to take control of the bout as the day unfolded. Ben Slater was presented with no little degree of hardship at the crease. Almost embarrassingly so, in a moment of chaos as Craig Overton hit the top of Slater’s off stump with a fine nip-backer, playing no shot at all.
Overton himself helped out with the bat, ending up 31 not out when the day’s play came to a close. His performance, alongside Hameed’s, formed a formidable opening partnership for Nottinghamshire. Knowing their chances would be slim, they were looking to close the deficit on Somerset’s first-innings score of 440.
Somerset had posted a daunting target thanks in part to big knocks from James Rew and Tom Abell. Rew batted magnificently for 166 runs, with Abell making a fine 156. It was their tireless work together that created an imposing target for Nottinghamshire to brush aside the pressure on their fragile top-order batting.
For Nottinghamshire with the ball, Mohammad Abbas was an excellent figure on his return, taking three for 60. Activist Dillon Pennington had a day of note taking 3/71 to further his impact. His skilful show did well to limit Somerset, running clear Nottinghamshire’s dreams as they headed for their second innings.
On paper, the matchup is one of the more exciting contests this round, with each side’s strengths properly matched. Hameed’s century gives Nottinghamshire a ray of hope going into day three as they attempt to overcome Somerset’s massive first innings lead. The day’s play ended with Nottinghamshire firmly looking to capitalize on Hameed’s form as they move forward in the match.
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