Kent keep the T20 runs flowing

The second week of the Nat West T20 Blast offered no real insight as to how the competition might pan out. The North division table shows Northamptonshire and Yorkshire leading the way but they have played twice as many games as the rest. Indeed, Yorkshire have won only one of their four games with one tied and one abandoned.

Leicestershire and Derbyshire have 100% records from their two fixtures. The former owe a massive debt to batsman Colin Ackermann and bowler Clint McKay. The Aussie bowler’s 5-11 against Worcestershire was even more impressive given that he had been ill. It was a good week for the Worcester ‘keeper Ben Cox. His batting has come on in leaps and bounds in the past few years and he combined a Championship hundred against Gloucestershire and a T20 half-century.

In the South group, both Kent and Hampshire nabbed two victories, the latter the only county so far with three wins from three. Openers Daniel Bell-Drummond and Joe Denly harvested plenty of runs across the week, Denly’s unbeaten 116 from 63 being the highlight. Sussex’s Luke Wright and Glamorgan’s Colin Ingram each struck 101 in the same match at Arundel, but when the South African captured the wickets of Ross Taylor and Ben Brown, it left Wright too much to do and the home team fell 18 short.

He biggest crowd of the week was crammed into Lord’s for the Middlesex-Surrey derby. That man Kumar Sangakkara top-scored yet again, striking 70 in 42 deliveries, but the seamers Helm, Stirling and Southee clattered the stumps regularly. None of the home batsmen really got going and Gareth Batty’s 4-14 seemed to have won the match until, with the last pair at the crease, Steven Finn swung Rampaul for the winning boundary.

Next week, Hampshire have a good chance of extending their winning run to five matches by beating Essex and Sussex and regaining their T20 mojo.

Team of the Week: Bell-Drummond (Ken), Dent (Glo), Denly (Ken), Wright (Sus), Ingram (Gla), Ackermann (Lei), Cox (Wor +), Howell (Glo), McKay (Lei), Harmer (Ess), Batty (Sur)

County Bowlers in Charge for a Change

It was back to the four-day grind, rather than the four-over blitz for the county bowlers but, for the first time this summer, they seemed to seize the upper hand in the County Championship. There were no flat track pitches, scorched by flaming June. Instead the damp air contributed to several five- or six-wicket hauls for seamers and spinners alike.

Surrey and Leicestershire were the only two sides to register victories as the rain began to bite early in the week. The former moved clear of Hampshire at the bottom of Division One with a straightforward defeat of Nottinghamshire. Lumb and Wessels were kept quiet, Hales was on England duty and Notts were twice bowled out for under 200. Zafar Ansari’s 6-36 finished things off.

It was a good week for Lancashire. Captain Steven Croft, Hasim Hameed and Liam Livingstone each reached three figures but couldn’t get the better of Warwickshire at Old Trafford. Debutant Matt Parkinson celebrated with 5-46, while Steven Parry also chipped in with a five-for in the T20 Blast when rolling Worcester over for just 53. They remain top with the same points total as Yorkshire, who had a rollercoaster ride at Chester-le-Street.

Steve Patterson’s 6-56 helped the White Roses to a healthy first innings lead, only for Keaton Jennings to carry his bat second time around. His double-century anchored a total of 507-8, but a century partnership by Lyth and Leez settled the final day nerves and Yorkshire batted out the draw.

In Division Two, Essex’s charge was halted again, this time by Leicestershire. Revitalised in 2016, the away team earned their second Championship win of the campaign at Chelmsford, despite a Monday washout. It wasn’t the batsmen but the seam attack of Clint McKay and Charlie Shreck who did most of the damage, before hurrying to a four-wicket triumph.

Kent narrowed their lead to six points at a rather damp Cardiff, but Glamorgan perhaps edged the play. Mitch Claydon took eight Welsh wickets but Graham Wagg aggregated 149 runs in the match. They just need to take more wickets if they are to avoid the wooden spoon.

The other double-hundred of the week was scored by Billy Godleman of Derbyshire. Having lost the whole of day one to the weather, from 13-2, he and Wayne Madsen progressed their innings to 264, ultimately declaring at 467-5. Things looked even more rosy when Ben Cotton and Tony Palladino left Worcestershire reeling at 18-5. There was a slight recovery but Worcester applied themselves better when following on, and ground out a draw on the final day.

Northamptonshire remain winless but with better weather down at Arundel they would surely have closed out the match against Sussex. Azharullah’s 6-68 and Adam Rossington’s career-best 138 not out from 121 balls gave Northants a 300-run leading margin before Joyce, Nash and rain denied Wakely’s side the win they deserved.

Next week, it’s Middlesex to face Lancashire and Hampshire entertaining Somerset while in the lower tier, Kent must surely topple Essex at the top as they host struggling Derbyshire.

Team of the Week: Jennings (Dur), Godleman (Der), Madsen (Der), Rossington (Nor), Croft (Lan +), Livingstone (Lan), Wagg (Gla), Ansari (Sur), Parry (Lan), Azharullah (Nor), McKay (Lei)

Essex Spring Clean Up in the Championship

Pity the poor county cricketers. While the IPL sloggers sweltered in India, it was a week for multiple sweaters, pocket hand-warmers and woolly hats around the English grounds.

Play was briefly stopped by snow even at The Oval, where 40 year-old Marcus Trescothick’s bones defied the low temperatures to create a fine century for Somerset. Another veteran batsman, Kumar Sangakkara was even better for Surrey, aggregating 244 runs, more than anyone else this week. It ended as a draw but at least they started four innings, which few matches could boast.

Warwickshire have looked good all month but have yet to secure a single victory. They top the table after marginally shading proceedings against Yorkshire. There were several fifties but only Chopra reached three figures. It was a similar story at Chester-le-Street where Mark Stoneman’s unbeaten 141 was the stand-out individual performance.

In Division Two, Essex stole a march on the rest by grabbing a second success of the season, to head the table by 21 points already. They thrashed a miserable-looking Northamptonshire by an innings. Ravi Bopara top-scored but it was the bowlers Jamie Porter, David Masters and Ryan Ten Doeschate who dominated.

Weather and the batsmen were on top in the remaining three fixtures. Chris Dent maintained his early-season form for Gloucestershire, for whom Hamish Marshall also contributed more than 150 runs. However, young Joe Clarke, then Moeen Ali enjoyed hundreds for Worcestershire.

Leicestershire look a more useful unit in 2016. Clint McKay added a further five wickets, and skipper Mark Cosgrove shared a big stand with new recruit Neil Dexter against Kent. Glamorgan showed some more fight this week, but Derbyshire were their equals. Will Bragg struck a rare century but Palladino achieved a five-for in the drawn match.

Next week, Warwickshire rest, but unbeaten Lancashire must fancy their chances of beating notorious poor starters Somerset at Taunton. Surrey against Durham could be an interesting one while Essex could make it three out of four at Worcester. Let’s hope they won’t be playing snowballs instead of cricket!

Team of the Week:
Trescothick (Som), Dent (Glo), Sangakkara (Sur), Moeen Ali (Wor), Marshall (Glo), Ambrose (War +), Rashid (Yor), Rampaul (Sur), McKay (Lei), Palladino (Der), Porter (Ess)

Wagner Runs Rings Around Notts

Week 2 of the domestic season brought decent weather. Instead it was batting dominance which produced just two results out of six. Runs flowed particularly freely at the top of the order.

In Division One, Stuart Robson broke a Middlesex record with his match aggregate of 337 runs. However, Jonathan Trott’s unbeaten 219 and a fine all-round performance by the redoubtable Keith Barker were instrumental in negating Robson’s total. Warwickshire ‘keeper Tim Ambrose will also remember the game, not for catches or runs, but for his maiden first-class wicket as the game petered out into a draw.

There were big scores in Yorkshire’s first Championship fixture of the season, too. In the first innings, no fewer than three players reached three figures. Adam Lyth made 111, then Jonny Bairstow struck a brilliant 246 and even Liam Plunkett weighed in with a rapid-fire 126. Ryan Sidebottom’s victims included his thousandth in senior cricket! Hampshire were not to be out-done, though. In reply, James Vince and Sean Ervine also hit hundreds and a draw was inevitable. Hants came out worst, however, as yet another fast bowler was afflicted by injury. Fidel Edwards contrived to break an ankle in a mid-match warm-up, unfortunate in the extreme.

Last week’s winners Nottinghamshire came a cropper against newly-promoted Lancashire. While Anderson and Broad were unusually on opposite sides of a first-class game, it was New Zealander Neil Wagner who stole the headlines. He claimed an eye-catchingly symmetrical 11-111, and the Notts batting fell apart.

In Division Two, Leicestershire enjoyed a rare victory on their first appearance in 2016 destroying Glamorgan at Cardiff. Wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien top-scored with 93 and claimed 8 catches, New recruit Paul Horton opened with two half-centuries and Clint McKay contributed eight wickets, leaving Robert Croft aghast.

Nevertheless Essex head the table despite failing to beat Sussex at Hove. Alastair Cook compiled a patient second innings century but I can’t help think he should have been a bit bolder as his team failed to attack a reachable target of 329 on the final day. Veteran all-rounder Graham Napier was in fine form, but the home side’s opener aggregated 211 runs in the match..

It was even more of a batting paradise at Bristol where only 22 wickets fell. Even Gloucestershire’s nightwatchman Liam Norwell scored 102, mostly in the company of Chris Dent. However, Derbyshire’s Wayne Madsen and Chesney Hughes helped themselves to more than 400 runs between them.

Let’s hope for more even contests between bat and ball next week when County Championship highlights include Leicestershire challenging Kent, now lacking their retired hero Robert Key, Durham hosting Middlesex and Yorkshire visiting Warwickshire.

Team of the Week:
S.Robson (Mid), Nash (Sus), Hughes (Der), Trott (War), Bairstow (Yor), Ervine (Ham), N O’Brien (Lei +), Napier (Ess), Plunkett (Yor), McKay (Lei), Wagner (Lan)

Notts Advance at the Double

The British weather did its best to disrupt the county cricket schedule, but there was still plenty of excitement around the Championship and Royal London Cup.

Yorkshire can still be caught after only two full innings were possible at Hove. England discard Gary Balance struck 165 before Sussex responded with no fewer than three individual centuries. Ed Joyce, Mike Yardy and the relatively youthful Ben Brown reached three figures but a draw was already inevitable.

Middlesex closed the gap to thirty points by beating Durham at Chester-le-Street. Bowlers were generally in charge, notably Graeme Onions, who grabbed 7-68 on day one. In the second innings, the consistent Chris Rushworth claimed another five-for, yet both finished on the losing side. That had much to do with Neil Dexter’s runs and James Harris’s eight wickets.
Nottinghamshire also consolidated their third place, helped by Steven Mullaney’s 112 and one of those Alex Hales specials, an unbeaten 189 not out. Samit Patel’s 4-23 in 22 overs completed an innings defeat of Warwickshire.

At Taunton, Somerset compiled a huge score and had Worcestershire on the rack at 44-4 before the rain set in. The visitors kept going without losing another wicket but the unbeaten double-century stand between James Hildreth (220 not out) and Peter Trego (130 not out) was all in vain. At least we had the better of the two in terms of bonus points, which could be crucial in the relegation battle. Next week, Worcestershire face another battle at the bottom, this time versus Sussex, while Somerset face an awkward trip to Yorkshire.

All Division Two matches ended in damp squibs. Lancashire’s draw with Glamorgan meant that the Old Trafford side are almost certain to be promoted next month. Glen Chapple could add only two to his first-class tally of 980 wickets. Will he make the thousand by the end of the campaign?! A Ben Foakes century and Tom Curran’s 6-61 were the only performances to note in the truncated Surrey v Gloucestershire fixture.

Rain robbed Leicestershire of a probable triumph at Northampton. Skipper Mark Cosgrove struck a composed 110 and Niall O’Brien a more impatient 95 to establish a first innings lead, before Clint McKay and Will White left their batsmen a target of just 116. Sadly for the basement county, they could face fewer than seven overs before play was abandoned as a draw. The Derbyshire-Kent encounter was memorable only for Billy Godleman’s twin hundreds, making it three in row for the 26 year-old opener.

The Royal London One-Day Cup may not be given much of a future by the PCA, but it has provided four counties with a chance of silverware, none of them participating in this weekend’s T20 Blast Finals Day. Nottinghamshire capped a good week, knocking out holders Durham. Hales and Patel reprised their star turns in their fifty over quarter-final. Essex were booted out at the same stage for the fourth consecutive competition, this time by Yorkshire. Paul Grayson and James Foster must be scratching their heads over this but their young talent may yet flourish in the next season or two, unless England steal Reece Topley, that is!

That man Michael Klinger delivered another match-winning innings for Gloucestershire, handing Hampshire a rare one-day defeat. In the other tie, Surrey’s Curran twins were showing that the pace attack without the retired Chris Tremlett still has a promising future as they kept Kent’s top batsmen quiet. Jason Roy thumped a run-a-ball century but a blistering 100 from Matt Coles, including nine sixes, almost produced an incredible turnaround before he became the tenth man out seventeen runs short.

Next weekend, Gloucestershire hope that talisman Klinger will return from Oz to hit them into the Lord’s final and end Yorkshire hopes of a second trophy. Surrey host Notts in the other semi, which could be a cracker!

Team of the Week: Godleman (Der), Hales (Not), Ballance (Yor), Hildreth (Som), Dexter (Mid), Patel (Not), N O’Brien (Lei +), Harris (Mid), T Curran (Sur), McKay (Lei), Onions (Dur)

Buttler comes of age!

I had a very enjoyable day at the SWALEC to enjoy a game of fluctuating fortunes before England nicked it in the final over. The sunshine and temperatures were autumnal but at least the 4th ODI took place on the day in between two very wet ones and a near- full house enjoyed almost 100 hours of intriguing cricket which left the series poised at one-all with one to play.

Few of those I'd seen at Oval Test last month were playing in Cardiff, but it didn't matter, especially when England's three survivors were part of an uwanted piece of history. ANyway, back to the beginning when a wild opener from Steven Finn was followed by a full in-swinger which trapped Aarn Finch plumb LBW for 0. Shane Watson made only six before Michael Clarke and Shaun Marsh steadied the ship. It wasn't an easy ride because Finn and his almost equally tall partner Boyd Rankin were constantly beating the bat. So, too, was Ben Stokes, consistently bowling at 85mph+.

It was clear that Australia would need to target the spinner(s) when Eoin Morgan deigned to risk Tredwell and Root, and that's what happened. George Bailey had played himself in and, when joined by Matthew Wade, they took the opportunity to up the tempo somewhat. with a 250+ score now possible, Wade fell to a miscued hook, and the innings disintegrated. Bailey struck three towering straight sixes on his way to 87 when he feathered a catch to Buttler. From 209-5, Australia slumped to 227 all out and England looked the more likely winners.

When Pietersen flicked a leg-side boundary in the first over, it looked as if Morgan's side would take charge and I'd be home by 5 o'clock! Then came the third over. Clint McKay's first ball was missed by KP and the LBW decision was an easy one. In came Jonathan Trott who inexplicably followed a wide one and edged to Finch at second slip. On a hat-trick, McKay then induced another edge off a tentative drive by Joe Root. It just about carried to Watson at slip. Cue great jubilations from the men in yellow, and the crowd went silent.

Morgan came down the steps in his usual calm fashion but he and Carberry were given a real tough time by the five-strong seam attack, which looked a good decision by the selectors. McKay bowled another two maidens while Mitch Johnson delivered a number of very quick deliveries, one timed at 94.4mph. Even from square-on in the stands, I could pick the exceptional balls but when he bowled short, Carberry in particular looked extremely vulnerable. After 20 overs, England were floundering at just 51-3 yet in this T20 era, six an over to win is not as difficult as it once may have been. This batting line-up also packs a powerful punch down to eight and that made the difference at the end. Morgan and Carberry reached their 50s in quick succession, notchnig a century stand in the process before the skipper chopped on to his stumps on 53.

The Hampshire man followed three overs later. An unconvincing innings at times but he lasted to make a decent 63. Ravi Bopara never looked comfortable and Jos Buttler was fortunate to win his DRS appeal when the big screen showing the ball missig he off stump by a fraction. However, that reprieve, together with the arrival of Ben Stokes, changed England's fortunes dramatically. Needing more than 7 an over from the last 11 overs, some crunching shots were called for and these two were more than capable. Forty came from overs 40 to 43 as the Somerset 'keeper took control. Stokes' departure with nine still needed brought jitters to the crowd as Tredwell survived some dot-balls from McKay. Seven from the last over and Buttler on strike. The first ball from Johnson was despatched out of the ground and suddenly it was all over. A dispirited-looking Clarke brought his field shuffling in close but Buttler simply crashed it stight ov erthem for the winning boundary.

Not as many runs as his ODI best last week, but this time he took the responsibility for a run chase and it was successful. Rankin had an excellent game, but Jos took the Man of the Match award and his future possibly moving further away from his home county. That would be a severe blow to Somerset but he is looking the real deal as a number six or seven in England's 50-over squad.