Mohammad Abbas six-for gives Notts Division One wake-up call

Hampshire's Mohammad Abbas produced his relentless best to help bowl Nottinghamshire out for 185 on their return to the LV= Insurance County Championship Division One. Pakistan fast bowler Abbas claimed 6 for 49 as he ripped out the Notts top order before coming back to deal with the tail.

Only Joe Clarke and Tom Moores, with 47 and 49 not out respectively, stood up to Hampshire's imperious attack, with James Fuller also picking up a pair of wickets.

Championship debutant Fletcha Middleton then kept the response in order with an impressive 56 not out as Hampshire ended the day on 119 for 3 - 66 runs shy of Notts' first innings score.

Abbas has been a menace for Championship batters since arriving at Hampshire in 2021 - with wicket tallies of 41 and 50 coming at an average well under 20. But that hasn't persuaded Pakistan to bring him back into their Test side for the first time since August 2021, with his exile coming after a run of indifferent form.

But Pakistan's loss has been Hampshire's gain. All his attributes - nibbling the ball around with metronomic precision - are suited to the Ageas Bowl, especially in early April.

It was therefore a surprise that Notts captain Steven Mullaney chose to bat first, although less so when Haseeb Hameed and Ben Duckett eased to 42 without loss before Abbas found his groove.

Abbas ground through to his sixth over before Duckett pushed to first slip. Hameed - who has been dropped second ball of the match - prodded behind in the following over. Ben Slater and Steven Mullaney were both victims of Abbas, either side of Kyle Abbott finding Lyndon James' outside edge to leave Notts 93 for 5.

Abbas' rest allowed Moores and Clarke to rebuild watchfully, although the latter played typically stylishly through the off side. It took 34 overs before James Vince moved away from his strike trio of Abbas, Abbott and Keith Barker, when he brought Fuller into the attack . Fuller had Clarke caught behind in his fourth over before Liam Patterson-White was dropped first ball but caught soon after for a quickfire double

Abbas returned to complete his five-for as Olly Stone was caught at the wicket and Luke Fletcher chipped to midwicket - it was Abbas' third six-wicket haul for Hampshire. Moores closed in on a deserved half-century but in trying to come back for a second, last man Dane Paterson was caught short of his ground by a pinpoint throw from Vince on the boundary.

In reply, Stone marked his Notts debut with a wicket with his ninth delivery, as Felix Organ was caught at second slip. Nick Gubbins followed in a similar fashion off Fletcher before Vince was bowled by a James snorter to see the hosts slump to 57 for 3.

Middleton - son of former Hampshire player and current batting coach Tony - was making his County Championship debut, having impressed in a first-class match, against Sri Lanka Development XI, and the One-Day Cup campaign last season.

Middleton had been battling at the other end but unleashed with a trio of boundaries in a Stone over to get over any potential nerves.

On a pitch prepared by groundstaff brother Finn he looked in little bother has he was joined in an unbroken 62-run stand with Liam Dawson. He reach his fifty in 88 balls just before bad light pulled the players off seven overs early.