Watch: Michael Neser claim brilliant hat-trick for Glamorgan

Australian fast bowler Michael Neser took the spotlight away from the returning Jonny Bairstow with a brilliant hat-trick as Glamorgan dominated a rain-affected second day of their LV= Insurance County Championship match against Yorkshire.

Bairstow made an unbeaten 20 in his first competitive innings after more than eight months out injured but he could only watch on from the non-striker’s end as Neser ripped through his colleagues at Headingley.

The 33-year-old, left out of this summer’s Ashes touring party, showed the Australia Test selectors what they could be missing as he claimed career-best figures of seven for 32 off 11 overs to help skittle Yorkshire for 106.

Neser swung and seamed the ball prodigiously and his haul included a hat-trick, removing Dawid Malan lbw and then bowling both George Hill and Dom Bess as they attempted to leave alone.

Boasting a first-innings lead of 139, Glamorgan reached 57 for two in their second innings before proceedings were brought to an early finish with the visitors 196 ahead.

𝗠𝗔𝗟𝗔𝗡 𝗚𝗢𝗡𝗘

Neser has his fourth and it’s the huge wicket of Malan! 😍😍😍@YorkshireCCC 90/6

𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 👉https://t.co/ShvTxJRv1s#GoGlam | #YORvGLAM pic.twitter.com/9j9IIJ1dDm

— Glamorgan Cricket 🏏 (@GlamCricket) May 5, 2023

𝗧𝗪𝗢-𝗜𝗡-𝗧𝗪𝗢 🎉🎉🎉

NESS IS ON HAT-TRICK 🔥🔥🔥

That’s 5⃣ for the Aussie 💪

𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 👉https://t.co/ShvTxJRv1s#GoGlam | #YORvGLAM pic.twitter.com/eFZyDgAXq7

— Glamorgan Cricket 🏏 (@GlamCricket) May 5, 2023

𝗢𝗠𝗚 𝗜𝗧’𝗦 𝗔 𝗛𝗔𝗧-𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗞 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

MICHAEL NESER YOU LITTLE RIPPER

𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 👉https://t.co/ShvTxJRv1s#GoGlam | #YORvGLAM pic.twitter.com/v8QMfA9v7U

— Glamorgan Cricket 🏏 (@GlamCricket) May 5, 2023

Play only started at midday following overnight and morning rain, with Yorkshire resuming on 62 for five as they replied to Glamorgan’s 245.

Inside 50 minutes of play, the hosts had been bowled out as Queensland seamer Neser, a surprise omission from Australia’s 17-man party for the World Test Championship final against India and the first two Ashes Tests, ran riot.

First, he swung one back into left-hander Malan and trapped him lbw for 25 with the fourth ball of the 28th over – the sixth of the day – to leave Yorkshire on 90 for six.

He then nipped one back and swung the other into the right-handed pair of Hill and Bess, who were both bowled.

That saw Neser become the ninth Glamorgan bowler to take a hat-trick in the Championship and the first since Robert Croft against Gloucestershire in 2010, and there was little Bairstow could do to stop it.

Bairstow, whose previous Championship appearance for Yorkshire came against Lancashire in July 2018 when he was part of a Jordan Clark hat-trick that also included the scalps of Joe Root and Kane Williamson, struck three fours in progressing from his overnight two not out, but he would only end up facing 34 deliveries as wickets tumbled at the other end.

Neser added Jordan Thompson to his list of morning victims, caught behind, before Ben Coad was run out at the non-striker’s end by Kiran Carlson as Bairstow attempted to pinch a quick single to retain the strike.

Glamorgan successfully negotiated one over of their second innings before lunch, when more rain delayed the restart until 2.10pm.

Yorkshire, without the services of new-ball seamer Coad due to a groin injury suffered on the opening day, struggled to make the breakthrough in helpful bowling conditions when the play did resume and Glamorgan’s openers had progressed to 44 before the hosts finally enjoyed some success.

Andrew Salter was trapped lbw by Thompson, and then opening partner David Lloyd (33) skewed Mickey Edwards to backward point immediately before the rain returned to end the day at 3.35pm.