On his County Championship debut, for Worcestershire, Khurram Shahzad tore through the Warwickshire top order to finish with 6-42.
Worcestershire had finished the first day at Edgbaston on 262-8 after Brett D’Oliveira won the toss and opted to bat. Ethan Brookes, unbeaten on 80 overnight, went on to score a career-best 140 the next morning. No.10 Adam Finch stayed put, helping Brookes put on 88 for the ninth wicket.
Shahzad walked out at the fall of Brookes’ wicket and kept out the last ball of a most singular over that had already seen four wides, two sixes, and a dismissal. Finch lasted one more ball at the other end, and the Worcestershire innings folded for 333.
D’Oliveira gave Shahzad the first over. Rob Yates played that out, but lasted two balls of Shahzad’s second over before he left a ball that took his off-stump. In his third over, Shahzad had Dan Mousley caught-behind to reduce the hosts to 4-2.
Warwickshire captain Alex Davies, the other opener, struggled for 25 balls without scoring before playing on to Shahzad, who then had Zen Malik caught at slip, in the 15th over. Warwickshire were left reeling at 26-4.
Some resistance came from Beau Webster (57) and wicketkeeper Kai Smith (68), but Shahzad returned to take out Corey Rocchiccioli and Ethan Bamber in the space of four balls. Warwickshire saved the follow-on but only just about: they conceded a lead of 149 runs as Shahzad finished with 6-42 and Finch with 3-40.
Match 85, Warwickshire vs Worcestershire
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This was the seventh time Shahzad claimed six wickets in first-class cricket. These include the 6-90 in a Test match against Bangladesh at Rawalpindi in 2024.
Gareth Roderick and Jake Libby, the Worcestershire openers, batted for the rest of the second day. The visitors were 31-0 at stumps, leading by 180 runs. It is worth a mention that Worcestershire has not beaten Warwickshire since the nine-wicket triumph at New Road in 2000. At Edgbaston, they have not won since 1993.
