Career-best for Burns as Leicestershire struggle

Mike Burns returned career-best figures of 5-50 as Somerset enjoyed the better of the opening day at Taunton.

By the close only 48.3 overs had been bowled because of several showers and Leicestershire were 200-8, having lost the toss.

With the ball swinging around in overcast conditions, the visitors slumped to 100-5 before Shahid Afridi came to the rescue with a half-century off just 39 balls. He was unbeaten on 62 at the close, having hit 9 fours and a six in a cavalier innings, including some brilliant as well as some chancy strokes.

Rain delayed the start until 12.15pm and only 13.2 overs were possible during the morning session, in which openers Iain Sutcliffe and Trevor Ward fell to Richard Johnson and Steffan Jones respectively.

Johnson also removed Ben Smith in the afternoon to make the score 68-3 and from then on Burns did the damage, sending back Aftab Habib, Darren Maddy, Darren Stevens, Neil Burns and James Ormond.

Habib had been dropped before he had scored by Keith Dutch at slip off Johnson and went on to make 24. Several other batsmen got starts and some poor shots contributed to Leicestershire's modest score.

The best batting came in a sixth-wicket stand of 69 in only ten overs between Afridi and Stevens, who looked in fine form until edging a Burns outswinger to Peter Bowler at slip, having made 29.

With rain always threatening and interrupting play several times, it wasn't an easy day for the batsmen. Johnson finished with 2-47, while Burns' first ever five-wicket haul in first-class cricket came off 14 overs, with two maidens.