Haseeb Hameed, Ben Slater put on record stand to set Notts up for big first-innings lead
Partnership of 200 puts visitors within one run of Leicestershire with just two wickets down
ECB Reporters Network
23-Aug-2020
Haseeb Hameed builds his innings for Nottinghamshire • Getty Images
Nottinghamshire 221 for 2 (Hameed 87, Slater 86) trail Leicestershire 222 (Taylor 57, Mike 51*) by 1 run
Openers Ben Slater and Haseeb Hameed put together a partnership of 200 as Nottinghamshire laid the foundations to build a formidable first-innings lead in their Bob Willis Trophy match against Leicestershire at the Fischer County Ground.
In so doing they broke a record for the first wicket for Nottinghamshire against Leicestershire, beating the 159 compiled by George Gunn and Garnet Lee at Trent Bridge in 1919.
Notts had resumed on 48 without loss, with Hameed on 34 and Slater on 12, and neither batsman gave a chance during the morning session as the Leicestershire seamers struggled to bowl a consistent line and length on an unrewarding pitch.
Tom Taylor came closest to making a breakthrough, beating both batsmen with deliveries that swung late, but edges were rare, and when they came fell short of the waiting slips. Hameed, after picking up two boundaries in the first over of the day, played circumspectly, reaching his half-century off 80 deliveries, while Slater - who earlier this season had spent two weeks on loan at Leicestershire - mixed steady accumulation with the occasional flowing cover drive, reaching his 50 off 103 balls.
By lunch they had beaten the previous highest first-wicket partnership in the Bob Willis Trophy, 153 between Slater and Hassan Azad, for Leicestershire against Lancashire.
Rain meant only 5.1 overs were possible in the afternoon and the evening session saw Leicestershire bowling a better containing line. Even so, both batsmen looked odds-on to reach a century until Hameed, on 87, left a delivery from Alex Evans that swung back in and hit his back leg to be dismissed leg before.
Ten runs later Slater - who had passed the landmark of 5,000 first-class runs earlier in his innings - was also dismissed, for 86, edging the persevering Taylor to second slip where Colin Ackermann held a sharp chance at the second attempt.
Bad light saw play end when 10.5 overs remained to be bowled, but with better weather forecast to come over the final two days, Notts are in a strong position to end their run of 24 first-class county matches without victory.
