India’s Cheteshwar Pujara hit his third hundred in six innings for Sussex this season at Worcester on Friday as Steve Smith made 30 after batting for the first time in the English County Championship.
Smith is playing three matches for Sussex before joining up with Australia for the World Test Championship final against India at the Oval next month and the subsequent five-match Ashes series in England.
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The 33-year-old Smith, batting at number five, appeared to be finding some form before he fell lbw to Worcestershire fast bowler Josh Tongue.
The Australian star also drew the ire of spectators when he forced a 10-minute delay when umpires noticed his helmet didn’t have stem guards and forced him to attach them.
The Telegraph reports the crowd “made their frustration known with a few slow handclaps and moans.”
Smith shared a stand of 61 with Pujara, set to be an opponent in the World Test Championship final.
Sussex captain Pujara pressed on to his eighth century in just 12 career matches for Sussex.
He was eventually dismissed for 136 in a total of 373 before Worcestershire reached 34-1 in their second innings, 75 runs behind heading into the third day of four.
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Elsewhere, Australia’s Michael Neser took a hat-trick for Glamorgan against a Yorkshire side featuring returning England star Jonny Bairstow.
Neser finished with a career-best 7-32, while Bairstow was 20 not out in his first major innings after more than eight months out injured following a freak accident on a golf course last September.
The 33-year-old Neser, left out of Australia’s squad for the final against India and the first two Ashes Tests, gained extravagant swing and seam movement at Headingley.
For his hat-trick, Neser had Dawid Malan lbw and he then bowled both George Hill and Dom Bess as they each played no shot to swinging deliveries.
Glamorgan were 57-2 — 196 runs ahead — in their second innings at stumps.
