Heavy rain may have saved Lancashire.
The familiar scene of covers on the Old Trafford square was abnormally welcomed today, as the rain may in fact save Lancashire from the desperate situation they have found themselves in. More than two sessions of play were lost today, but Essex were able to extend their lead to 252 runs, a score that would surely test the fragmentary batting that continues to hold Lancashire back.
Lancashire's only true success of the day came through the removal of Alistair Cook, who was only able to add three runs to his overnight score of 57. Gareth Cross, who scored 45 in the hosts abysmal first innings, successfully caught the England captain, to give Kyle Hogg Lancashire's only wicket of the day.
Jaik Mickelburgh and Mark Pettini shared an unbeaten fourth wicket stand worth 71 runs to help extend Essex's strength in this match, but what seemed to be an inevitable onslaught was halted by the rain that persisted to fall throughout the lunch interval and unfortunately for the rest of the day.
The final day may hold a caveat for Essex, who are hoping to close this Championship encounter with a deserved victory, but if the rain does avoid Manchester, there is every chance that both sides will aim to find a result and Lancashire scoring these runs would be far less surprising than their performance against Glamorgan, which saw them remove ten wickets in the space of a single session to guide them to their first victory of the campaign.
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