Kyle Abbott, Mohammad Abbas wreck Leicestershire response
Only 12.5 overs were possible on the third day, but Leicestershire still slipped to 28 for 5
ECB Reporters' Network
21-May-2021
Kyle Abbott made a mess of Leicestershire's top order • Getty Images
Leicestershire 28 for 5 (Abbott 3-22) trail Hampshire 233 (Barnes 4-61) by 205 runs
Torrential rain once again accounted for most of day three at the Ageas Bowl - but not before eight wickets fell for just 38 runs in 12.5 overs of play.
Hampshire started the day on 223 for 7 underneath leaden skies in Southampton, but added only 10 to their overnight total before running through Leicestershire's top order as the visitors slumped to 28 for 5 before play was halted just before lunch.
In-form Hampshire allrounder Keith Barker, fresh from back-to-back 50s, clubbed the first two balls of the day for four off Ed Barnes but departed to the first ball of the next over for 24 when he slashed Chris Wright straight to Rishi Patel at gully.
Wright then trapped Kyle Abbott lbw five deliveries later for his fourth wicket before Brad Wheal edged Barnes to Hassan Azad in the slips, handing the young Yorkshireman his career-best figures of 4 for 61.
With the wind howling around the ground, Abbott, who grabbed 11 wickets at Lord's last week, and Mohammad Abbas tormented the Leicestershire top order with the new ball, in conditions tailor-made for two high-class Test quicks.
Azad survived six deliveries before being rapped on the pads in front of his stumps by Abbott, with fellow opener Sam Evans suffering a similar fate at the hands of his former county team-mate Abbas for just 5.
Australian Test opener Marcus Harris, a century-maker against Surrey two weeks ago, was the next batsman to perish when he played no shot to an Abbas delivery that nipped back and clipped the top of off stump to leave his side reeling at 8 for 3.
Visiting skipper Colin Ackermann was unable to stem the bleeding as his stumps were cleaned up by Abbott before Lewis Hill joined him back in the pavilion when he edged the South African to Lewis McManus behind the stumps to become the fifth Leicestershire wicket to fall in 45 balls.
Patel showed some fight with back-back boundaries off Abbot before the players left the field with Leicestershire needing another 56 runs to avoid the follow-on.
