Shazhad seals tense victory to thwart Onions

A half-century by overseas star Ashwell Prince looked to have set the champions on course for a comfortable first win of the season, particularly when they were 156-4 in pursuit of only 200.

But when captain Glen Chapple was eighth out they still needed 32 to win in 5.4 overs, but Shahzad and Hogg saw them home in a pulsating finish at Chester-le-Street.

Defeat spelt further agony for Durham, who will suffer a points deduction for a slow over-rate and are now further adrift at the foot of Division One.

It was also an injustice for Graham Onions, who had career-best match figures of 11-95 but was let down by Steve Harmison.

Having removed Paul Horton the previous evening, Onions’s figures on the day were 16-4-26-5. When Harmison was recalled with Lancashire needing 22 off three overs, his first over cost nine and he began the final over with an unreachable no-ball which bounced over the batsman’s head. Two balls later, Shahzad drove him to long-on for the winning four.

With rain preventing play until 2.55pm, Lancashire had 44 overs to score the 144 runs they needed when they resumed on 56-1.

Onions opened up with an 11-over spell, broken by tea, in which he took 3-12. When he was rested with the score on 108-4, he had taken all the wickets, although Harmison almost succeeded in having Prince caught on 14.

Shortly afterwards, the brakes came off when left-hander Prince hooked Harmison for six.

With Onions out of the attack, 20 runs came off two overs after only 52 had come off the day’s first 22.

Luke Procter helped Prince to put on 58 and Lancashire looked to be in control until left-arm swing bowler Jamie Harrison had Procter caught behind for 15. The target was 41 off eight when Prince was sixth out for 51, caught at first slip by Gordon Muchall when giving Harrison the charge.

In the next over, Onions completed his second 10-wicket match haul of the season by pinning Gareth Cross lbw and when he removed Chapple in the same fashion Durham were favourites.

But they could not find the necessary support for Onions as Shahzad (19 no) and Hogg (12no) clinched victory.