Kent and Lancashire having a Blast

The past week will long be remembered for record-breaking temperatures but it also introduced 2019 to the Vitality Blast. Sadly the hot weather also brought a swathe of storms which caused five washouts but, on the bright side, they did ensure Leicestershire have a point to their name.

At the end of the first week of fixtures Kent are the only unbeaten county, defeating useful one-day sides like Essex, Somerset and Hampshire. The Spitfires’ stand-out individual performance was Imran Qayyam’s 5-21 which shot Somerset out of the skies at Canterbury. Middlesex stand second of the South division. AB De Villiers got them off to a stunning start with an unbeaten 88 off 43 deliveries but Dawid Malan was the most consistent batsman of all, while seamers Tom Helm and Toby Roland-Jones were always amongst the wickets.

Sussex boast a formidable line-up of specialist T20 bowlers, particularly Mills, Topley, Rashid Khan and Danny Briggs.  They have propelled Sussex into third place, despite only managing a tie with Surrey. The latter side enjoyed a 97-run drubbing of Glamorgan on Thursday evening at The Oval. Tom Curran captured a second-over hat-trick, then Batty and Imran Tahir each took a further three wickets as the Welsh were dismissed for 44. It was their worst T20 performance to date but at least it was better than Ireland’s second-innings Test meltdown.

Curran was less successful against Essex. With South African hired T20 gun Cameron Delport slogging fourteen sixes in a career-best 129, the England man’s three overs went for 60. On their home ground, Essex amassed 226-4 from only 15 overs but it wasn’t the highest total of the week. In the North group Yorkshire took 255 off Leicestershire, with Tom Kohler-Cadmore leading the way with 96 not out. However, the Vikings lost the Big One, falling just short of Lancashire’s 170-6 at Headingley.

Warwickshire, aka the Birmingham Bears, also got off to a good start. Their recruit from Hampshire, Fidel Edwards, and Aussie spinner Ashton Agar looked useful acquisitions. Nottinghamshire ought to do well, and Alex Hales needs to make some high scores to get back in Eoin Morgan’s good books.

Gloucestershire and Worcestershire saw relatively little Blast action as they squeezed in a Championship fixture at Cheltenham. The result was closer after four days than the majority of games spanning just three hours. An excellent all-round contribution by Ryan Higgins helped the home team to a 13-run triumph, propelling them to an unlikely third position in Division Two.

As for the Blast, there’ll be plenty more thrills and spills before the knockouts start. I’m sure Glamorgan and Leicestershire won’t end the competition winless.

Team of the Week: Delport (Ess), Short (Dur), Kohler-Cadmore (Yor), Malan (Mid), Du Plooy (Der), Pooran (Yor +), Higgins (Glo), Roland-Jones (Mid), Agar (War), Helm (Mid), Edwards (War)

Ashes off to a thrilling start

What a great advert the Trent Bridge opener was for Test cricket. The spectators certainly had their money's worth. Indeed, after the events of day one, they were lucky the match even extended to the Sunday. Along came Ashton Agar, then Ian Bell and we had a proper five-day game on our hands.

The result says England won by fourteen runs, a piffling margin by first-class cricket standards. Yet were the two sides really that close? The marketing and TV execs, not to mention the Aussie team and fans, will say so, and we want a closer series than the form book had suggested before the start. However, that Australia produced a genuine contest owed almost everything to a couple of last-wicket partnerships worth 225, including that world record effort a few days ago. The rest of the contest was definitely England's, as Jimmy Anderson showed why he is one of the two best bowlers in the world, and Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook contributed runs which Cowan and Clarke would have killed for!

A lot has been said about a few key umpiring decisions, from the Stuart Broad controversy to the review which ended the match in anticlimactic fashion. Of course, Broad should have been given out; it was blatant, but you can't blame Michael Clarke for having run out of reviews. While I am disgusted at Broad's refusal to 'walk', it's no surprise because 99% of modern cricketers would have done the same thing. With regards to the last play of the match, I was watching on the TV and heard a distinct noise. Hotspot seemed to agree but for me the telling proof came by watching Brad Haddin look behind immediately after the missed stroke. When you nick the ball, it's human nature to check to see if you've been caught. Haddin would have heard and felt contact. It's just a pity that such a nerve-jangling finale came down to the third umpire.

However, while Anderson picked up the Man of the Match award for his ten wickets, surely the contest will be remembered more for that sensational debut innings from teenage spinner Ashton Agar. He didn't just break the world record for a number eleven, he accomplished it with such style and coolness. His rueful grin at being caught going for the century said it all. He'll probably never play such an innings again. In fact, with the ACB selectors' track record, he may not bowl again at this level for years, either. However, the well-deserved applause from both sets of fans, and millions of TV viewers should ring in his ears for the rest of his life.

Ponting's Last, Agar's First

It's been a spectacular week for Australian batsmen - and one bowler masquerading as a batsman! I'll deal with Ashton Agar's spectacular record-breaking Test innings separately but there were some even bigger scores from some of his more illustrious countrymen now plying their trade in the County Championship. Surrey remain in deep trouble after yet another draw at The Oval. However, their match against Nottinghamshire will go down as Ricky Ponting's very last in first-class cricket. Fortunately he bowed out in grand style, passing 24,000 runs and reaching his 82nd century, half of which have come in Test cricket. The ovation accorded him as he left the pitch on 169 not out was heartfelt. He may have been a love-hate figure in England but all true fans of the game appreciate his contribution to the sport over the years.

In a mid-table clash, one of Punter's former team-mates, Adam Voges, struck 150 and 51 for Middlesex, albeit in a losing cause. Warwickshire's victory was built on the foundations of one of Virun Chopra's trademark big hundreds, this time an unbeaten 228. Sussex remain top of Division One, thumping Somerset inside three days. Another Aussie did a lot of damage; Steve Magoffin, albeit with the ball. I managed to sneak a glimpse of him giving Craig Meschede a torrid time on Monday afternoon, but even Nick Compton fell to him twice for only seven runs. Marcus Trescothick would love to have scored that many. Two ducks made it four in succession in all forms of cricket! Could it be that the Somerset stalwart's powers are finally waning? I hope not. Durham advanced to second after easily dismissing Derbyshire. SA-born opener Keaton Jennings almost beat Derby on his own, contributing 216 runs, while Chris Rushworth enjoyed replacing England squad member Graham Onions' as new ball merchant, taking 10-103 in total.

In Division Two, Lancashire won the battle of the top two, defeating Northants by eight wickets. Cameron White top-scored for the home side in the first innings but then Simon Katich, a year younger than Ponting, stroked his way to 200. Spinner Simon Kerrigan's 7-63 and Glen Chapple did the rest. Aussie-born Michael Hogan is now officially England-qualified and playing in Wales. His bowling helped Glamorgan keep up with Hampshire for two days and when Marcus North (from Melbourne) took 5-30, a second win of the season looked on the cards. However, James Tomlinson and Danny Briggs bowled Hants to victory by 43 runs.

At the time of writing, Gloucestershire and Kent are slugging it out on an ultra-flat Cheltenham strip where only eleven wickets have fallen on the first three days. Four home batsmen have helped themselves to centuries, led by Alex Gidman's 211 but - guess what? - yet another Aussie, Michael Klinger, creamed 102 not out against some part-time 'declaration' bowling (plus Vernon Philander). Kent will need 411 to win on another hot day, and on this pitch, it's not as impossible as it first sounds.

Amidst more T20 knockabouts, there's another round of Championship fixtures next week. Sussex could open up a big lead at the top of Division One if they beat Middlesex but Yorkshire could regain second spot if they follow the form book against lowly Derbyshire. Even without Root or Bairstow, they should win easily, and without any Aussies, too.