DURHAM suffered a second collapse this morning before Phil Mustard dug them out of their hole with an innings of 63 not out, earning a lead of one before they were all out for 194.
Mustard began the recovery from 59 for six with Liam Plunkett, who made 29 in their stand of 46 while the wicketkeeper showed unusual restraint.
Mustard had faced 50 balls for 17 at lunch and added only six in the first five overs after the break before cutting loose.
He took three fours in five balls off Kabir Ali, two driven and the third off a top-edged hook over the slips, before pinching a single off the last ball.
Off the first ball of the next over a lofted straight drive off Matt Mason also sped to the rope, and when Mason made way for Chris Whelan a leg glance gave Mustard his eighth four and took him to 50 off 82 balls.
He received good support from all the tail, putting on 35 with Callum Thorp, 31 with Mitch Claydon and 23 with Mark Davies.
It was Davies who put Durham ahead when he pulled Whelan wide of mid-on for four, but he then got an inside edge into his stumps to end the innings.
In the morning Kabir and Mason had used the humid conditions well, swinging the ball and causing Durham to lose three wickets for three runs.
After coming in at one for three the previous evening, Dale Benkenstein helped makeshift opener Kyle Coetzer put on 55.
They didn’t score a run off the day’s first four overs as they concentrated on survival against the testing bowling and Coetzer’s first scoring shot flew at waist height just wide of the slips.
Benkenstein also edged a four off Kabir before nicking a perfectly-pitched ball to the wicketkeeper to depart for 25.
Ian Blackwell fell for one when Mason brought one sharply back into the left-hander to pierce his defence and hit the top of off stump.
Kabir had been swinging the ball away, but moved one the other way to take out Coetzer’s off stump with the Scot on 31.
Fortunately for Durham, the change bowlers were hit-the-deck merchants rather than swingers. The Australian Ashley Noffke bowled two successive bouncers at Mustard and when Whelan came on Plunkett immediately cut and pulled him for two fours.
Whelan bowled three overs for 20 runs before Mason returned and had Plunkett caught at third slip, and after lunch Kabir completed a five-wicket haul when he had Thorp lbw for 17.
After having Claydon caught behind, Kabir finished with six for 68, then Worcestershire faced only one ball in their second innings before the umpires decided to go off for bad light.
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