Mixed emotions for Lehmann as Northants let Derbyshire off the hook at Wantage Road
Head coach Darren Lehmann was left with conflicting emotions after day one of Northants’ Rothesay County Championship Division Two clash with Derbyshire at the County Ground.
Yuzi Chahal led the way with the ball, claiming four wickets as the visitors were at one point reduced to 89 for five, but some wayward bowling and poor fielding allowed Derbyshire to recover and close the day on 348 for eight.
Martin Andersson was the main man with the bat, hitting a superb 105, but there were also crucial middle and late order runs from Aneurin Donald (37), Zak Chappell (32), Joe Hawkins (29no) and Ben Aitchison (33no) as Northants struggled to finish the innings off.
The County also coughed up 35 extras as well as spilling a few wicket chances, and Lehmann admitted it was a mixed day for his side.
“It was a bit to and fro," admitted the Australian. "They started well, then we hit our straps with the ball.
"At 89 for five, you hope you're bowling them out in the day, and then they fought back really well. I thought they played well after lunch so full credit to them, but we didn't bowl as well as we'd have liked.
"That middle session, I think went for about 140 again and we’ve had a few of those of late, which is something we are going to have to get better at.
"We missed a couple of opportunities again as well, which we have been doing, and we did last week. So, I would have liked to bowl them out.
"Having said that, they played well. Their young kids played well.
“I thought Yuzvendra Chahal was good to get four wickets, and I would have liked him to get five or six.
"We've got to now polish them off really quickly and get our batting underway and bat really well in the first innings. So that's the challenge."
The match is being played on the same wicket that was used for the Women's Vitality Blast Tier Two Finals Day on Saturday, and Lehmann feels it is still a decent surface.
“I think the wicket will spin more and more as the game goes on and that's what you want on those sorts of wickets," he said.
"I thought we stuck at it pretty well, albeit again the extras were 35. Take that off the score, and some indifferent bowling at times. But, you know, it looks a pretty good wicket still.”
Day two is due to resume at 11am on Wednesday.