Read and Footitt fashion recovery

Nottinghamshire v Glamorgan

The 28-year-old, who scored an elegant 87 against Australia in Melbourne in the winter, will not captain - Jason Gallian will fill that particular role - but his record of nine Test centuries in 37 matches suggests he will score runs.

That he does is absolutely vital for Nottinghamshire, who have based their excellent Championship form on compiling big totals. To do that frequently, though, demands runs from the lower order as well and Chris Read obliged yesterday with a century, most of which came in a last-wicket partnership with Mark Footitt.

Glamorgan are a dispirited bunch at present, bereft of enthusiasm, energy, aggression or ideas, but why Robert Croft scattered fielders the moment Footitt joined Read was unfathomable.

Read was on 20 at the time and Glamorgan had seized the momentum and fought back into the match. Instead of attacking, pressuring the wicketkeeper and his young partner, Croft gifted singles, trying to isolate Footitt while hoping for a mistake. It came but after 101 crucial runs had been added and Nottinghamshire had dramatically reclaimed the advantage and two extra batting points.

Read batted well, mixing judicious hoicks with powerful drives and good placement, and one concern for Nottinghamshire will be why his efforts were required. They did not seem necessary during the morning as Fleming and David Hussey scored freely and with little difficulty.

Rather surprisingly, however, both were dismissed by the innocuous outswingers of Sourav Ganguly. The Indian captain has a mixed press with accusations of aloofness dogging him, but he was certainly willing to toil for Glamorgan's cause. Fleming checked an attempted drive and was caught and bowled, while Hussey edged behind.

Further wickets soon followed, another two by Ganguly and three from the 18-year-old debutant, Huw Waters. And, from a hugely promising 268 for 3, Nottinghamshire had slumped to 324 for 9. Then it was Read and Footitt, named like a company of bailiffs, they certainly took everything from a willing Glamorgan.