Waite's gritty 73* drags Worcestershire into 329-run lead over Derbyshire
Matthew Waite's superb unbeaten 73 helped Worcestershire open up a commanding 329-run lead over Derbyshire at New Road going into the penultimate day of the Rothesay County Championship season.
Waite cashed in on being dropped twice as the Pears rebuilt from the depths of 88-7 to reach 203-9 at the close on day three, despite Pakistan international Muhammad Abbas taking his match tally of wickets to nine with 4-63 in the second innings, following his 5-63 in the first.
Abbas strikes early as Pears stumble
After Abbas and Luis Reece took wickets in consecutive overs early on, the Pakistan seamer capped a profitable first hour when he pinned Jake Libby lbw for 13. A lengthy delay for bad light meant an early lunch was taken, but the visitors then had Nick Potts to thank for a double-wicket burst on the resumption when he had both Dan Lategan and Rehaan Edvalath caught behind.
Adam Hose and Brett D'Oliveira followed in quick succession, and Abbas might have had more had luck not deserted him. The seamer saw Waite dropped twice by Martin Andersson at second slip, though he did not have to wait long for a fourth wicket of the innings when Henry Cullen edged behind.
Taylor stands firm, Waite survives again
Abbas bowled a marathon spell of 20 overs straight through either side of tea, but failed to earn another breakthrough. The Pears' ninth-wicket partnership, worth 51, was only finally broken by an excellent piece of fielding from Yousaf bin Naeem, which ran Tom Taylor out for 18.
Waite was then caught at long-leg on 48, only to be handed a dramatic reprieve when Potts was no-balled for overstepping. The all-rounder batted on to register a gritty 97-ball half-century — his sixth fifty in Division Two this summer, and his 14th in first-class cricket for Worcestershire — aided by 21 from Ben Gibbon at the other end.
But with still 30 overs left in the day, the skies darkened once again and the players came off, leaving Derbyshire — skittled for 88 on day two after Wayne Madsen's 40, with Josh Allison taking 5-22 and Taylor 3-27 — facing an uphill battle to salvage anything from the final days of the season. Both sides took three points from the match so far.