Lyndon James admitted the weather tested Nottinghamshire’s patience on the third day against Worcestershire at New Road, but remains hopeful there will be enough time to force a result on the final day.
“Fingers crossed! Obviously, the weather’s been frustrating today, but that’s just part and parcel of cricket,” said James.
“Hopefully there will still be enough time for us to chase the runs down tomorrow.”
All-rounder James teed up the chase by enjoying individual success with the ball in hand, claiming his third career five-wicket haul.
“It was nice to get some wickets,” he stated. “It’s been a bit frustrating for me with the ball this season.
“I feel like I’ve not bowled at my best at times, but I just have to keep working at it and hope it clicks into rhythm. It definitely clicked in that second innings this morning!”
James’ return of 5/35 was all the more impressive considering he was required to shoulder more responsibility in the attack owing to Mohammad Abbas’ injury.
“We talked about putting the ball in the right place as often as we can and me, [Josh Tongue], and [Dillon Pennington] did that quite well,” he said.
“We went the first 45 minutes without reward, but we’ve seen in this game that wickets fall in clusters, and that’s what happened. It was just about being patient.”
The spell also saw James pass 100 First-Class wickets, a milestone of which he spoke about his pride in, but emphasised that his focus remains on team success.
“It’s nice to tick off the 100 first-class wickets, but as long as I’m contributing to positive results for us, that’s all that matters,” the 26-year-old said.
“The individual accolades take care of themselves, but I have always tried to get my bowling to a similar level to my batting, so it is pleasing to tick off that milestone.”
James also praised the efforts of Freddie McCann and Ben Slater, who showed strong application with the bat despite regular interruptions.
“It was great from Freddie and Ben in tricky conditions, especially with the stop-start nature of the game,” he said.
“To be able to keep their concentration throughout all the rain and bad light stoppages was very impressive. Fingers crossed that when we get back on, the rain stays away.”
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