Leicestershire skipper Callum Parkinson ‘pleased’ as late Nottinghamshire wickets fall

Leicestershire skipper Callum Parkinson was pleased his side picked up three late wickets in day two of their LV= Insurance County Championship match against Nottinghamshire at the Uptonsteel County Ground.

Ben Duckett made 145 and there were half-centuries for Joe Clarke and Haseeb Hameed as Nottinghamshire built a strong response after Leicestershire posted a season’s-best 440 all out.

“We are pleased to have picked up those three late wickets after Ben Duckett and Joe Clarke had played so well," Parkinson said.

"They were really positive, didn’t let us settle and put our bad balls away.

"We probably didn’t bowl as well as we could as a bowling unit, bowled too many loose ones, but the boys fronted up pretty well in a fixture we always find tough in between T20s.

“Ben and Will both played brilliantly for us at the start of the day. Ben has batted well all season and is such a strong, clean hitter of the ball, and the lads all know how hard Will Davis works on his batting and you saw the result today.

“That partnership was massive. It has been our kryptonite this year that we haven’t got enough first innings runs and it has hurt us when we have put the other team in the driving seat. If we would have been 320 all out we would have been really up against it.

MORE: Read the day two report here.

“It is going to be a massive first hour in the morning. The bowlers need to rest up and go at it again hard and we have to take our lessons and maybe just bowl a bit fuller and straighter.”

Nottinghamshire’s Duckett was in high spirits.

He said: "We’re happy with the rate that we scored at and fingers crossed we can get in front in the morning, or at least level, and then put them under some pressure with the ball and set things up for the last couple of days.

“There is the odd ball that does something but it is a pitch where if you don’t bowl well or put the ball in the right area, with such a fast outfield you can score freely.

“Has (Haseeb Hameed) started well and both he and Clarkey will be disappointed to be out, particularly Joe on 89 after working hard and probably deserving a hundred.

“I feel I’m playing really well this season. I feel like I’ve missed out on three or four hundreds when I've maybe got myself out, so when I was 98 not out at tea I didn’t speak to too many people. I made sure I got over the line and thankfully I got a short, wide one.

“I’ve been feeling good, but I’ll leave it to other people to talk about that (whether it leads to an England recall). I’m just focussing on playing here, scoring as many runs as I can and being as consistent as I can.”

MORE: Read the day two report here.