Lancashire collapse to Adams' best haul

Nottinghamshire 169 &122-2 Lancashire 146

It is fair to assume that Lancashire would not mind the chance of facing a Nottinghamshire side that does not include Andre Adams.

The veteran New Zealand seamer, who will be 37 in July, took 10 Lancashire wickets at Southport last season in a temporary derailing of their Championship bandwagon. Yesterday, he was their scourge again, finishing with a career-best 7 for 32 as the title-holders squandered Wednesday night's promising platform so comprehensively they may do well to avoid a third defeat in a season only four matches old.

Having taken the only wicket Lancashire lost on the first evening, breaking an opening partnership that seemed only to suggest the home side would take control, Adams struck with his third ball yesterday morning and progress became a struggle for Lancashire from that point on. They trail by 145, with Michael Lumb and Samit Patel beginning to bed in.

Lancashire had not been in the worst shape at lunch at 129 for 4, even though Adams had produced the ball of the day to remove Stephen Moore and even though they had lost Ashwell Prince to Graeme Swann.

In the afternoon, though, they collapsed spectacularly, losing their final six wickets for 15 runs, Adams accounting for four of them before Swann ended the innings on a hat-trick by dismissing his friend and England team-mate James Anderson first ball.

It was an unsatisfactory day all round for Anderson, who bowled one over in the Nottinghamshire second innings but then left the field, not because the thumb he damaged on Wednesday was troubling him but because he has a cold.

He reappeared later, again for one over, believing he would need to be in the field as long as he had been off in order to bowl again today. Clearly feeling sorry for him, the umpires told him it would be unnecessary, as the slate would be wiped clean overnight.

So far his record in this match is identical with that of Stuart Broad. Both have not taken a wicket and both have been out first ball. Where they differ is that Broad, who conceded 60 runs in 14 overs, has not bowled well.