Veteran fast bowler Devon Malcolm produced a sensational performance to shatter Surrey and put Leicestershire in the driving seat by the end of a remarkable first day in the CricInfo Championship clash at Grace Road.

The 38-year-old former England paceman claimed his Championship-best figures of 8-63 in 18 overs to turn the match on its head after the home side had been dismissed for 165.

Malcolm roared in with real fire and purpose despite temperatures up in the eighties to spearhead a Leicestershire fightback which incredibly earned them a first innings lead of 63 with Surrey bowled out for 102 in 38 overs

That meant Leicestershire were back in batting for a second time, and by the close they had reached 79 without loss to lead by 142 runs with Trevor Ward on 42 and Iain Sutcliffe on 23.

But the earlier clatter of 20 wickets will mean the inevitable visit by a pitch inspector, although it's unlikely he will find anything wrong. The wicket is firm, dry and straw-coloured. The only problem has been a lack of pace.

That, however, is hardly an excuse for some of the poor shot selection from both sides. Leicestershire captain Vince Wells certainly had no hesitation in batting when he won the toss, and he can hardly have expected what followed.

Martin Bicknell snapped up 3-13 in an opening eight-over spell and then Saqlain Mushtaq spun his magic to take 4-60. Only Trevor Ward with 46 and Neil Burns(45) offered much resistance as the home side crumbled to 165 all out by early afternoon.

But in the sweltering heat Malcolm set about showing that anything Surrey could do, he could do better. He bowled an unchanged opening spell of 12 overs taking 4-46, and then returned after tea to claim another four wickets for 17 runs in six overs.

It was a Herculean effort from the "Golden Oldie" and it beat his previous best Championship return of 6-23 for Derbyshire against Lancashire in 1997. Malcolm, who has signed a two-year contract with Leicestershire, has now taken 44 Championship wickets this season – more than any other bowler.

Top scorer for Surrey was opener Michael Carberry with 23 on his CricInfo Championship debut. He eventually fell to Phil DeFreitas who took the other two wickets for 13 runs in seven overs.

© CricInfo Ltd.