Mennie blow as Lancs toil
LANCASHIRE endured probably their worst day of the season so far as they were pummelled with both bat and ball on day two of their Specsavers County Championship match at Worcestershire.
The Red Rose, who at one stage were 77-0 in their first innings before losing five wickets for nine runs at the end of day one, were dismissed for a sorry 130 before lunch yesterday.
They then suffered in the field as Worcestershire - who are bottom of Division One – put them to the sword, closing on 361-4, a massive lead of 478.
And to make matters worse, Lancashire lost Joe Mennie after the Australian bowler was hit on the head by a return drive from Martin Guptill.
He won’t take any further part in the game, having suffered suspected concussion, so Lancashire will be able to replace him in the side by Danny Lamb, who becomes the first concussion replacement in English first-class cricket following new ECB regulations.
Mennie suffered a fractured skull in January 2017 as a Sydney Sixers player when hit on the head in the nets.
“Joe has taken quite a nasty impact on the side of the head just above the temple, quite a heavy blow,” said Lancashire assistant coach Mark Chilton. “Therefore that causes an immediate concern for everyone.
“He was conscious all the time but clearly not very well and pretty dazed by it and his head is sore.”
Only openers Keaton Jennings (55) and Alex Davies reached double figures in Lancashire’s first innings as six players were out for a duck - three first ball. But Worcestershire openers Daryl Mitchell (163) and Guptill (111) both reached three figures as the Red Rose wilted in the field.
It is Mitchell’s third century against Lancashire this season after his tons in the first innings and the recent Royal London One-Day Cup match.
“We’ve got to show some fight and character and get what we can out of the remainder of the game,” said Chilton. “We are going to have to try and keep our standards and disciplines as much as we can.
“At some time, we are going to bat and we have to get stuck in and work really hard to bat as long as we can.
“That’s an area where we have fallen short recently and it’s an opportunity for everyone to try and get a really big score.”