Notts on verge of win and hoping rain stays away

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Nottinghamshire need to find four wickets – and, crucially, for the rain to stay away – on the final day to turn their total domination of Warwickshire into a County Championship victory at Edgbaston.

Trailing by 274 on first innings, Warwickshire closed the third day on 163 for six, in deep trouble but still alive and with a potential lifeline in the form of heavy rain predicted for the final day.

Nottinghamshire's decision to bat quite deep into day three despite the dodgy forecast could cost them. They extended their first innings to 367, Haseeb Hameed carrying his bat for 138 in 399 minutes, supported by Fergus O'Neill (50, 53 balls) and Lyndon James (42, 117). Medium-pacer Michael Booth took five for 90, his maiden first-class five-for.

But after the visitors' dynamic cricket on the second day, their batting on the third morning was ponderous, achieving little more than robbing their bowlers of time to get stuck into Warwickshire's second innings. When those bowlers were finally unleashed they winkled out six on a pitch which is improving for batting.

Nottinghamshire resumed on the third morning on 204 for five, already 111 ahead, but showed no urgency. Hameed and James added a pedestrian 51 in 21 overs before the latter edged Ed Barnard to slip.

Hameed reached his 16th first class century, from 196 balls, while O'Neill added some impetus by adding a half-century to his five-for the previous day. The Australian's ninth four, driven through the covers off Booth, took him to 50 but he perished next ball when he skied a slog.

Booth advanced to his five-for with wickets in successive balls when he bowled Brett Hutton through a cross-bat swipe and had Josh Tongue caught behind.

When Farhan Ahmed nicked Barnard to the keeper, Hameed had carried his bat for the second time in his Nottinghamshire career and become the third player, following Mick Newell and Alex Hales, to do so for the county against Warwickshire.

Warwickshire's rearguard action started badly when Alex Davies edged Hutton to third slip in the fifth over.

Rob Yates and Hamza Shaikh grafted to add 34 in 13 overs before Tongue struck just before and after tea. Wicketkeeper Kyle Berreynne took the catches as Yates leg-glanced too fine and Sam Hain fenced outside off stump.

Shaikh defied for nearly two hours for 27 but fell lbw when hit on the back leg by O'Neill. Dan Mousley dug in similarly for 32 then became the first victim of spin in the match when trapped lbw by Farhan Ahmed.

With nine balls left in the day, Kai Smith was bowled by a beauty from O'Neill. Warwickshire will enter the final day needing either a monumental lower-order batting display…or lots of rain.