A total of 20 wickets fell on an extraordinary opening day at Trent Bridge as Division Two leaders Nottinghamshire fought back strongly in their Specsavers County Championship match against third-placed Northamptonshire.
Both sides harbour ambitions of gaining promotion this season, yet seemed more interested in getting this contest over as quickly as possible.
Notts, who have a date at T20 Finals Day on Saturday, could certainly do with an extra day or two of practice, yet wouldn’t have expected to be rolled over for just 213 in only 50.1 overs, after opting to bat first.
Azharullah and Richard Gleeson shared nine of the wickets, with Azharullah taking season-best figures of five for 63 and Gleeson contributed four for 38, as the visitors turned in one of their most emphatic bowling performances of the campaign.
Riki Wessels was last out for Notts, having made 69 from 80 deliveries, whilst Steven Mullaney’s 58 was the only other score above 18.
In the final session of the day Northants were equally profligate at the crease, tumbling to 84 for eight, before Josh Cobb’s unbeaten 46 propelled them to an all-out total of 141, a deficit of 72. Brett Hutton and Luke Wood each took three wickets.
In the final five overs of the day Notts, batting for a second time, advanced their overall lead to 91, closing on 19 without loss.
At the start of the day Jake Libby, who spent the early part of last season on loan with Northants, made 14 before falling to Gleeson after an hour at the crease.
Azharullah then made decisive inroads, bowling Cheteshwar Pujara and Samit Patel, before having Alex Hales taken by Alex Wakely at second slip.
Pujara, re-joining Notts for a second stint this summer after playing for India against Sri Lanka recently, was beaten by one that nipped back. Patel underwent the same fate but was shouldering arms as his off peg was flattened and then Hales was unable to control his intended drive.
Things could have been worse for Notts but Mullaney had a slice of luck when his nick off Azharullah flew through the slip cordon to bring up his 50, getting there from 72 deliveries.
After a partnership of 36 with Wessels, the opener was bowled by Kleinveldt, as the innings began to spiral into freefall.
Chris Read clipped Azharullah to midwicket, Hutton became the second to be bowled when not attempting a shot and Wood was palpably lbw when struck by a full-pitched Gleeson delivery.
Jake Ball failed to get off the mark, leaving Wessels to dominate the strike in a last-wicket partnership of 31 with Harry Gurney.
With Ben Duckett missing, nursing an injured finger, David Murphy joined Rob Newton as the Northants’ reply began with an opening stand of 28.
Ball separated them, having Newton caught behind for 16, before bowling Wakely for four.
Wood responded with two wickets of his own, having Murphy caught behind by 23 – Read’s 500th first class catch at Trent Bridge - before toppling Richard Levi’s off-pole out of the ground.
Consecutive lbws forged a bigger hole in the Northants’ middle order as Hutton removed Rob Keogh, after bowling 14 consecutive dot balls at him and Mullaney entered the fray to send back Adam Rossington.
That was Mullaney’s 16th first class wicket of the campaign – the best return of his career – and he celebrated by then having Kleinveldt caught behind.
Hutton picked up the wicket of Ben Sanderson and then ended a partnership of 48 between Cobb and Gleeson; the highest stand of the day.
Cobb hit the only two sixes of the day but was left high and dry when Azharullah presented Read with his fourth catch of the innings.