Durham 422 for 4 (Robinson 113*, Lees 101) vs Leicestershire
Centuries from Ollie Robinson and Alex Lees put Division Two leaders Durham in a commanding place at 422 for 4 after the opening day of their LV= Insurance coverage County Championship conflict with third-placed Leicestershire.
Robinson, who completed unbeaten on 113, posted the third century of what’s turning into an impressive season following his transfer from Kent final winter, sharing an unbroken 221-run fifth-wicket stand with Graham Clark, who’s 15 away from 100 of his personal.
Wicketkeeper Robinson, who was finishing back-to-back centuries after his second-inning 102 towards Glamorgan earlier this month, moved from fifty to 100 in simply 40 balls as a tiring dwelling bowling assault was made to endure on a flat pitch.
Certainly, Parkinson and Ackermann wrote what will likely be a curious footnote to the day’s play by combining to dismiss Lees, concurrently providing their new aspect proof of their capacity whereas putting an necessary blow for his or her present one.
Having received the toss and invited Leicestershire’s bowlers to discover the Kookaburra experiment, Durham might solely have been extra glad with the opening session had Lees and Jones been nonetheless collectively at lunch.
Because it was, they shared Durham’s finest opening partnership of this season, earlier than Jones, already with 14 fours and a six to his title and searching on the right track for a second century of the marketing campaign, mistimed a ball from Ed Barnes that he flicked tamely to quick mid-wicket, the place Ackermann took a superb catch.
The pitch had an inexpensive protecting of grass, significantly on a full size, but with a brief boundary to 1 aspect Lees and Jones flew out of the traps with such function that, at 66 with out loss after eight overs, spectators may need had pause to marvel in the event that they had been watching T20 reasonably than a four-day sport.
To their credit score, by lunch a house assault missing the injured Josh Hull and teenage leg spinner Rehan Ahmed – on England responsibility – had managed to pull the speed again to a extra respectable three runs per over, with Jones the one casualty as Durham lunched on 150 for one. Parkinson’s left-arm spin was summoned as early because the eighth over, though the pitch…
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