Unhappy return to action for departing Glamorgan skipper David Lloyd

Departing captain David Lloyd made only six on his return to action for Glamorgan in the first innings of his side’s County Championship Division Two clash with Leicestershire.

Not a single ball was bowled on day one due to a combination of rain and bad light in Cardiff, and the second day looked on course to be equally frustrating after hours of delays.

But following only five deliveries in the morning, the action exploded into life late on Tuesday afternoon as Zain-ul-Hassan swept home a four with the first ball following the resumption before Lloyd – back from a hamstring issue and soon to be leaving the Welsh capital – was bowled by Matt Salisbury.

Ul-Hassan reached 32 as part of a 44-run partnership with Sam Northeast to steady the ship following Lloyd’s early exit as the home side posted 54 for one at the close.

It must have felt like Sophia Gardens had been struck by a curse given that it was the only venue across the County Championship not to witness any play on day one.

A mere two minutes before the action was due to commence on the second day, rain fell in Cardiff.

Lloyd – who last week confirmed he will move to Derbyshire following the conclusion of the 2023 season – and Ul-Hassan eventually made it on to the pitch at 11:30am, with the latter recording five dot balls from veteran seamer Chris Wright before rain halted proceedings.

Early lunch

An early lunch was taken in the hope of seeing some action in the afternoon, and conditions teasingly improved ahead of a further pitch inspection at 2pm, although an almighty downpour rendered play impossible in what was yet another cruel mockery of the ground staff’s tireless efforts to beat the elements.

Clouds at long last made way for sunshine, and play finally resumed at 5:30pm following an early tea – with Glamorgan restricted to 16.1 overs.

Ul-Hassan looked assured at the crease for the hosts, although he was a helpless bystander as Salisbury ripped through the wicket to remove Lloyd, who had been absent for almost two months through injury.

Ul-Hassan – who survived a scare of his own in the 13th over after fine fielding by Salisbury – showed real poise and grace as he notched 32 off 59 balls.