After having joined Durham for the final six County Championship games in Division Two, Axar Patel played a significant role in his side’s drubbing of Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff in his maiden county cricket appearance.

Photo credit: Axar Patel/Twitter

After three Championship defeats, Durham needed something special from their overseas professional. Patel, who picked three wickets with the ball in the match, made a mettlesome 95 not out with the bat and helped Durham secure 21 points after beating Glamorgan by an innings and 30 runs.

Glamorgan got off to a difficult start with Patel polishing it off by picking up the final two wickets in the first innings, wrapping up the opposition for a measly 154.

In reply, Durham got off to a flying start but on a pitch that suited the bowlers, they lost six wickets for just 64 runs. Patel walked in at 144 for 5 and played imposing drives and took a particular liking to Craig Meschede, smashing the right-arm medium-fast bowler for six fours and a maximum.

During his 138-minute stay at the crease, the left-hander looked in complete control with 12 fours and 2 sixes but ran out of partners as he was left stranded at 95 off just 99 balls.

He managed to propel Durham to 295, after forging a 61-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Stuart Poynter and a 47-run ninth-wicket stand with Matt Salisbury. As a result, Durham’s lead stood at 141.

It proved too much as Glamorgan was all-out for a paltry 111 handing over an easy victory to Durham. Patel bowled a spruce spell in the second innings as well and added another wicket to his tally.

His next four-day game will be against Northamptonshire at Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street starting from 29th August.