Essex are 183/4 at the close of play at Cardiff

"Success is based on successful adaptation" - so wrote Max McKeown, the well-known advocate of innovation culture, and the past 72 hours have seen a masterclass of the management consultant's thinking from the bat of Jacques Rudolph. On Friday evening, in the heady and almost hedonistic cauldron of Twenty20 cricket at The Kia Oval, the Glamorgan captain blasted 62 from just 39 balls. Yesterday, in the more tranquil and sedate surroundings of Championship cricket at the SWALEC Stadium, he posted an unbeaten 81 from 210 balls. Whilst his quickfire innings against Surrey had included 5 fours and brace of sixes, his half-century yesterday against Essex included just three boundaries as he eschewed the improvisation and pyrotechnics from Friday night for an innings of classical correctness and watchfulness on a surface where swing and steep bounce had posed problems for others.


Later in the day, Rudolph added a further five boundaries to his tally, driving with power and panache, and the true value of his efforts may not become completely apparent until later in a contest where rain on the opening day removed 27 overs, with Glamorgan reaching 187/5 by the close with Rudolph unbeaten on 81 and with a second Championship hundred on the horizon. With Graham Wagg as his partner, the Springbok knew that another couple of hours batting - or more - would help Glamorgan to establish the bulwark of a potentially match-winning total.


At first, this looked an unlikely scenario as in the fourth over of the morning, Rudolph edged a rising delivery from Jamie Porter into the hands of Jaik Mickleburgh in the gully, thereby ending his four and three-quarter hour stay at the crease. But his departure hastened the arrival of Craig Meschede who proceeded to change the tempo of the innings.


He began by pulling Porter to mid-wicket for four, before driving him to long-on and then pulling him for four as Glamorgan reached 200 - and their first batting point - in the 76^th over. Wagg also struck successive deliveries from Graham Napier for four to third man and long-on before Meschede drilled Adeel Malik's leg-spin straight for four as well as through extra cover, in addition to a thick edge for four through slip. Next over, he harpooned the Pakistani over deep mid-wicket and long-on for six from successive deliveries as in the space of just six overs.


Mechede then despatched the final ball of the 82^nd over from Malik over long-on to complete a 37-ball fifty whereupon Essex took the new ball with Glamorgan on 257/6. Wagg added another four to the total as he glanced Porter to fine-leg before Meschede lustily drove Porter to long-on for six and four from successive balls. But with the total on 281, Wagg received a ball from Masters which jagged back into him and he departed l.b.w. for 47.


David Lloyd announced his arrival in the middle by clipping successive deliveries from Porter to square-leg for four as Glamorgan secured their third batting point in the 90^th over as Lloyd clipped Graham Napier to square-leg for another boundary. But next over Meschede's run spree came to an end as he biffed Master in the air towards deep mid-wicket where Daniel Lawrence held the catch as the all-rounder departed having struck 68 from a mere 52 balls.


304/8 became 306/9 as Masters removed David Lloyd with his next delivery as he edged to gully before Michael Hogan survived the hat-trick ball followed by a rasping straight drive for four. But the innings then ended as Andrew Salter edged a drive against Masters as Glamorgan ended 314 all out. Essex had two overs to face before lunch which Mickleburgh and Nick Browne safely achieved as the visitors went to lunch on 3/0.

Jaik Mickleburgh struck the first boundary of the innings as he clipped the fourth ball of the second over, bowled by Craig Meschede, to the ropes at mid-wicket. A short shower brought a ten minute interruption before Nick Browne scythed Meschede over the head of the slip cordon, followed by a more assured cover drive against the all-rounder. Michael Hogan delivered a quite probing spell at the Cathedral Road End before being replaced by Graham Wagg, whilst David Lloyd then replaced Meschede at the River End.


Browne cover drove Wagg to bring up the fifty but no sooner had the ball struck the boundary rope than steady rain started to fall as the players once again left the field with Essex on 50/0. An early tea was then called at 3.10pm with play resuming at 3.30pm but no overs were lost from the day's allocation.

Play resumed at 3.30pm after an early tea with Essex on 50/0, but it soon became 51/1 as a rising delivery from David Lloyd found the outside edge of Jaik Mickleburgh's bat with the ball lobbing in the air to Jacques Rudolph at second slip who safely pouched the ball, but only at the sixth attempt after parrying the ball up and some juggling of which a circus performer would have been proud.


54/1 duly became 59/2 as in his next over Lloyd found the outside edge of Nick Browne's bat with Mark Wallace completing the catch moving across to his left in front of first slip. James Foster came in and steered his second delivery through cover point for four but the rains then returned as the players once again left the field.


Play resumed at 5pm with 20 overs having been lost from the daily allocation, but in his second over after the interval, David Lloyd appeared to suffer a thigh strain and he departed the field for treatment as Craig Meschede completed the over. Daniel Lawrence then edged Michael Hogan through the slips before despatching the next delivery with more authority to the ropes at cover point.


But the youngster departed in Meschede's next over as - with the total on 86 - he edged a cut into Wallace's gloves. Foster responded by crisply on-driving Meschede before his new partner Ryan ten Doeschate brought up the 100 by square-driving Meschede through point. The pair then accumulated in one's and two's before Foster cover drove Meschede. He then nearly edged Wagg to second slip but next over he chopped the left-armer onto his stumps and departed for 38.


140/4 saw the arrival of debutant Callum Taylor and after flicking his first ball to fine-leg the teenager edged Wagg through the slips for four. Later in the over he unfurled a more controlled cover drive before edging Meschede between second and third slip. Hogan and Will Bragg then delivered the closing overs as the shadows again criss-crossed the Stadium. The cloud cover also built-up and Andrew Salter had an over as it was too gloomy for Hogan to continue and with two overs remaining the umpires took the players off the field as play ended at 6.55pm.