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Imam-ul-Haq scores impressive 90 on his Somerset debut

The start of play at the Cooper Associates County Ground was delayed until 11.15 am but the momentum was with Somerset from the final session on day one and the bowlers wasted no time building on it

Imam-ul-Haq scores impressive 90 on his Somerset debut PHOTO: Twitter / Somerset

Imam-ul-Haq made an excellent 90 on his Somerset debut on day two of this LV Insurance County Championship match against Gloucestershire at the Cooper Associates County Ground.

After dismissing their opponents for 343, from an overnight 320 for six, the home side slipped to 87 for four but the Pakistan Test opener looked impressive as he spearheaded the Somerset reply.

Thanks largely to the 26-year-old left-hander’s model technique, the home side reached 209 for eight by the close of a rain-interrupted day, but still trailed by 134.

The start of play at the Cooper Associates County Ground was delayed until 11.15 am but the momentum was with Somerset from the final session on day one and the bowlers wasted no time building on it.

Imam moved to a flawless fifty off 108 balls and found an equally solid partner in fellow left-hander Rew as the pair took the score to 135 for four by tea.

Sajid Khan survived a chance to Harris at third slip as Price was denied a fifth victim and Somerset gained a precious batting point.

At the close of play, Imam-ul-Haq said: "It was tough out there. The wicket was doing a bit and I needed to use my experience. I focused on what my scoring areas were and waited for those balls. We have to give credit to the bowlers because they bowled in the right areas and hit the deck hard. The conditions helped the bowlers too, but that’s what red-ball cricket demands."

"I was very impressed with James Rew. I was talking with him at lunch and tea and we talked about how important the partnership was. I was really happy that he got some runs and I was impressed by his performance today," he said.

"There are still six sessions to play and four-day cricket demands a lot of determination and can change very quickly. It’s even at the moment and if our bowlers can hit the right areas, anything can happen," he further added.