Durham build good lead against Worcestershire

Colin Ackermann batting for DurhamImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Colin Ackermann hit two fours in his innings of 40

Vitality County Championship Division One, Seat Unique Riverside (day two)

Durham 190: Stokes 56 & 148-9: Ackermann 40; Taylor 4-46

Worcestershire 112: Kashif Ali 55; Potts 4-29

Durham (3 pts) lead Worcestershire (3 pts) by 226 runs

Match scorecard

Four-wicket returns from Tom Taylor and Nathan Smith gave Worcestershire a fighting chance on a rain-affected second day of their County Championship clash with Durham.

The pair had the ball on a string at the Seat Unique Riverside and picked up key wickets, but 40 from Colin Ackermann helped Durham build their lead to 226 after finishing day two on 148-9.

With plenty of rain around, there was no play at Chester-le-Street until just after 13:00 BST and the visitors took two wickets in a seven-over spell before being forced off by the weather once again.

Wickets continued to fall in the evening session but Ackermann adapted to the conditions and helped his side build a challenging lead.

Smith, who is yet to be capped at international level for New Zealand, has been a fantastic addition to the Pears’ team, with the overseas star adding to the two second-innings wickets he took late on a chaotic first day, finishing with figures of 4-52.

Meanwhile Taylor picked up 4-46, including the vital wicket of England captain Ben Stokes with the last ball of the day.

Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.