Shafayat frustrates Durham in the rain (From The Northern Echo)

Shafayat frustrates Durham in the rain

9:09am Friday 1st August 2008 in

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Nottingham v Durham (LV County Championship) Day 2

THE weather and Bilal Shafayat combined to frustrate Durham yesterday as inbetween the frequent interruptions they kept chipping away at the Nottinghamshire line-up.

They reduced the leaders to 114 for four but, having just turned 23, Shafayat hinted that he might be ready to realise his undoubted potential by making an unbeaten 54.

The right-handed opener looked a little fortunate to survive an lbw appeal on nine, when he was struck on the boot by a Steve Harmison yorker. Otherwise he built on a cautious start through attractive strokeplay, which brought him ten fours in his 93-ball half-century.

Durham would have hoped for a little more from Callum Thorp, who took 20 wickets in his first three appearances of the season but has had only six in five innings since.

Although they are confident that Graham Onions will resist Warwickshire’s overtures and sign an extended contract, they will need to get him back in the team soon to keep him happy.

The forecast for a fine morning at Trent Bridge proved inaccurate, and the drizzle which delayed the start by three minutes turned into torrential rain after 3.4 overs.

It didn’t last long, but with a restart imminent another heavy shower prompted an early lunch, and there were five further interruptions on a gloomy afternoon before the last one proved terminal.

When play was possible, the sultry conditions seemed tailor- made for swing bowling, especially on a ground noted for it.

But there was no great movement for the quicker bowlers, which is probably why Dale Benkenstein introduced his own medium pace at 75 for two after 25 overs.

The captain had previously bowled only 14 overs in the championship this season, and the second of his two wickets last year came at home to Lancashire in May.

He persevered yesterday after being struck for two fours in his third over by Adam Voges, and a little bit of late in-swing had the Australian lbw for nine. The ball hit the bat as well, but Benkenstein was in no doubt that it struck the pad first and, to his delight, umpire Peter Willey agreed.

The other umpire, Vanburn Holder, upheld the first lbw appeal of the day when Harmison pinned Matthew Wood with the 12th ball.

When play resumed after lunch Harmison struck again, having Mark Wagh caught low down at third slip by Thorp to make it ten for two.

But they were soon off again and on the resumption the third-wicket pair of Shafayat and Samit Patel quickly began to show the wristy skills familiar among players of Asian background.

Nottinghamshire have seen it all before from Usman Afzaal before his departure for Northants, and now Surrey, and are doubtless hoping for greater commitment from the current pair.

Patel, who scored a Friends Provident century at Riverside this season, had the audacity to drive good length balls from Harmison straight down the ground as well as emulating Shafayat’s clips through mid-wicket.

They had put on 68 in 18 overs when Patel fell for 29, trying to whip an off stump ball from Thorp to leg and offering a catch to Liam Plunkett at short mid-wicket.

Patel looked suitably mortified, but no sooner had Benkenstein turned the screw than the rain returned.

SCOREBOARD

Nottinghamshire v Durham At Trent Bridge

Overnight: Durham 266 (W R Smith 85; C E Shreck 4-69). Nottinghamshire 6-0.

Nottinghamshire First Innings Close

M J Wood lbw b S J Harmison ...............7

B M Shafayat not out .......................54

M A Wagh c Thorp b S J Harmison .......2

S R Patel c Plunkett b Thorp ................29

A C Voges lbw b Benkenstein ................9

G P Swann not out ................................5

Extras (lb8 pens 0) ...................8

Total 4 wkts (35 overs)..........114

Fall: 1-8 2-10 3-78 4-99 To Bat: C M W Read, M A Ealham, S C J Broad, D J Pattinson, C E Shreck, A R Adams.

Bonus Pts: Nottinghamshire 3 Durham 2 Bowling: S J Harmison 12-2-32-2. Thorp 13-5-37-1. Plunkett 5-0-24-0. Benkenstein 5-1-13-1.

FRIENDLY Durham II v MCC Universities

(at Racecourse Ground).

Day three of three

DURHAM II SECOND INNINGS: F G Borthwick c Cope b Habib 29, K Turner c Kalam b Habib 64, L J Goddard c Kalam b Gale 41, G T Park lbw Salmons 42, P B Muchall not out 50, U Mohamed not out 30.

Extras 18. Total (4 wickets, declared) 274 (71 overs).

Bowling: T Parsons 19-1-29-0, D Snell 8- 2-18-0, P Young 6-2-12-0, M Habib 13-0-63- 2, D Gale 17-1-89-1, C Salmons 8-0-63-1.

MCC UNIVERSITIES SECOND INNINGS: C Smith c Mohamed b Evans 27, A Cope not out 35, R Sutton c Muchall b Gidman 17, R Bishop c Borthwick b Gidman 2, P Young not out 0. Extras 2. Total (3 wickets) 83 (32 overs).

Bowling: L Evans 8-1-22-1, J S Miles 4- 1-13-0, P B Muchall 8-3-25-0, N Killeen 4- 3-7-0, F G Borthwick 4-1-5-0, W R S Gidman 4-2-9-2.

Match abandoned as a draw.