FIRST PUBLISHED IN:
www.theguardian.com
International commitments and a long-standing and at times acute back problem mean it has been more than a year since the Leicestershire captain Ramnaresh Sarwan last lead the Foxes in a County Championship match, and the former West Indies batsman was furious with himself after getting out when he looked likely to mark the occasion with a century.
Having taken 16 deliveries to get off the mark after coming in when Angus Robson edged James Tomlinson to the wicketkeeper shortly after lunch, Sarwan played with a potent mixture of power and fluency in going to 60 at a run a ball. His dismay at top-edging his pull at the first delivery after tea, bowled by Kyle Abbott, gently into the hands of midwicket, was writ large across his features, and with Leicestershire finishing another fascinating day's cricket still 36 runs adrift of Hampshire's first innings – a total that had looked about 50 runs below par – Sarwan was still chastising himself at stumps.
"It's been a while so to get a score is pleasing but I was very disappointed not to go on and put us in a better position," said Sarwan. "It's a pretty easy wicket to bat on, once you've got in. It's a matter of shot selection, and mine was horrible.
"I was feeling a lot of discomfort with the back in the field on the first day, but it was OK today. I just have to make sure I manage it. At least it's been warm though, I've been coming to this country since I was 20 and I don't think I've had so many days of sunshine."
If the weather remains kind – and the forecast for the last two days has begun to improve – the fact that time and again batsmen have got in and failed to go on to make a decisive score has left the game very much in the balance. For the fourth championship match in succession Leicestershire, last season's whipping boys, have more than held their own, and Sarwan believes the policy of giving youth a chance – albeit enforced in part by monetary considerations – is beginning to pay off.
"One of the things I said is that before I leave the club I'd like to see it in the first division, and the way some of the young guys are maturing makes me think that is a real possibility. Players like Greg Smith, Ned Eckersley, Josh Cobb, Angus Robson, Rob Taylor, Nathan Buck, they are very talented cricketers, and if they continue to progress like they have this season, the county is only going to get stronger."
If there has been a difference between the sides, it has been in the quality of Hampshire's new-ball bowling. Abbott showed why he has won two South Africa Test caps by taking four for 55 from 22 overs, figures that were a reflection of his consistent quality, while his new-ball partner James Tomlinson also bowled with fire and determination throughout.
Together they kept pegging Leicestershire back and assuming they take the final wicket quickly in the morning, will ensure their batsmen start their second innings with a lead that may yet prove to be vital.
