County Cricket: Somerset are Abell but Surrey seem the more willing

Just over ten years ago my blog celebrated the 501-run partnership involving Alviro Petersen and Ashwell Prince in Lancashire’s Championship fixture at Colwyn Bay. There was nothing quite as massive this week, but one of Ian Botham’s records was eclipsed when James Rew and Tom Abell put on a new Somerset fourth-wicket record of 313 at Trent Bridge. All the more remarkable was the fact it followed a devastating opening spell by Muhammad Abbas, and the second-best stand was just 41. It counted for little, because Haseeb Hameed’s 208 anchored a superior Nottinghamshire reply which pretty much guaranteed the draw. 

The stalemate also played into Surrey’s hands. The leaders extended the gap over their nearest rivals to nine points courtesy of a five-wicket defeat of Durham at Chester-le-Street, where runs proved harder to come by. There were no centuries although Emilio Gay was dismissed one short. Ben Raine and Sai Kishore went home with five-fors, but the champs took the sixteen points for the win. 

Yorkshire stole the seaside show at Scarborough, thumping Sussex by an innings and leaping out of the relegation spots. Tons from Lyth and, for the second game in succession, Matt Revis, elevated the home side’s total to an unassailable 545-9 declared. Sussex were always struggling to save the game and, despite dogged late resistance by Hudson-Prentice and Carson, the experienced seamer Matt Milnes sealed the triumph with figures of 5-31. 

Warwickshire are only a point behind Somerset despite a run-heavy draw against Essex at Chelmsford. The hosts dominated the first few days, as Tom Westley, Charlie Allison and Michael Pepper all reached three figures. The Midlanders made a decent fist of their response, led by Ed Barnard and Ethan Bamber’s maiden hundred in his 72^nd first-class match. 

Not for the first time this season, Worcestershire were frustrated on the final afternoon when in sight of a much-needed success. Hampshire set them a challenging target of 358 on the final afternoon and, to skipper D’Oliveira’s credit, they accepted the gauntlet with no little enterprise. Jake Libby carried his bat for a round 100 in the first innings and reached 106 in the second before being bowled by Fuller. The run rate continued at more than six an over, but wickets fell regularly and, at 303-8, time was called with neither side quite doing enough. 

In Division Two, the combination of inclement weather and dominant batsmen prevented a result in three of the four fixtures. The exception occurred at Old Trafford, where Glamorgan cemented their second place by beating Lancashire by 154 runs. Chris Green (6-83) had limited the Welsh county to 261 on day one, but Mason Crane’s six-wicket blitz left Lancashire 124 adrift. Centuries by Kiran Carlson and Sam Northeast consolidated the lead and, despite Luke Wells’ 102, the Red Roses fell way short of the 473 target. 

Leicestershire are still comfortably clear of the rest following a tame draw at Canterbury. Rehan Ahmed scored another century and Tom Scriven’s unlikely 99 advanced the total to 471. However, day three was almost totally washed out, so Kent’s Ben Compton batted virtually to the end, amassing 221. Ahmed was the most successful of the ten bowlers used by ‘keeper-captain Handscomb, who kept his gloves on throughout! 

Northamptonshire had Derbyshire on the back foot for the final few days, courtesy of a 208-run seventh-wicket stand shared by Justin Broad and Rob Keogh. On the fourth day, only rain and Luis Reece’s defiance saved Derby’s bacon. The Cheltenham crowd had little to relish either, especially thse who turned up on Thursday with hope and well-used umbrellas. At least there were excellent innings from the bats of Middlesex’s Kane Williamson (153) and Gloucestershire’s 21-year-old Joe Phillips (136). 

Now comes the interminable hiatus for The Hundred and the neutered Metro One-Day Cup. As ever, I’ll be focussing on the latter, which opens the door for the less-lauded white-ballers to show what they’re made of in fifty-over competition. Glamorgan handed Somerset their traditional runners-up medals last season and must be in with a decent shout this summer, too. 

Team of the Week:- Hameed (Not), Libby (Wor), B Compton (Ken), Westley (Ess), Abell (Som), Carlson (Gla), Rew (Som +), Revis (Yor), Crane (Gla), Milnes (Yor), T Taylor (Wor)

County Cricket: Topsy-Turvy stuff in Division One

It was a strange week for County Championship results. As if the record Spring temperatures, sunshine levels and dried-up riverbeds and canals weren’t enough, both the top two counties in Division One came a cropper and the bottom team actually won by a country mile. The batsmen striking the highest individual scores by far did so in a losing cause and a host of wicketkeepers also reaped a harvest of runs. 

Nottinghamshire had been looking good at the top but, at Chester-le-Street, after Haseeb Hameed caried his bat for 206, their attack struggled to make headway against Durham. Gay, Clark and Ollie Robinson each reached three figures as the side lodged a new record high of 664 all out. Were it not for Joe Clarke’s sparkling 119, Notts would have lost by an innings and Durham still needed Colin Ackermann to deliver a quick fifty to achieve victory. 

There were no centuries at Edgbaston, but Warwickshire succumbed to Hampshire by 89 runs. Five-fors from Kyle Abbott and James Fuller were the decisive performances.  Warwickshire’s loss was Surrey’s gain, as the reigning champs whacked Yorkshire by an innings to close the gap behind Notts to just three points. Jonny Bairstow crashed 89 and 77 for the White Roses but his opposite number Ben Foakes also chipped in with 86 and some fine catches. Jordan Clark was the pick of Surrey’s bowlers, taking a combined 7-76. 

By the River Severn, Worcestershire earned not only their first batting bonus points of the season, but also their maiden triumph, defeating Essex with remarkable ease inside three days. Apart from day one, bowlers on both sides were dominant, but it was the victors’ Matthew Waite who stole the headlines with a first-innings 73 and a career-best 6-19 to complete Essex’s misery. Garth Roderick also deserves an honourable mention. The opener failed with the bat but contributed nine catches behind the stumps. 

Somerset made it back-to-back wins, but Sussex didn’t make it easy for them at Taunton. Following recent top-order batting woes, the home county gambled by promoting captain Luke Gregory and fast bowler Josh Davey to open. It seemed to work. Dropped to seven, Archie Vaughan duly scored 80 and, when three wickets tumbled in the hunt for a 150-run target, Gregory led from the front with an unbeaten 89, including the winning single.

 

The next round of fixtures includes a tricky outing to a Bairstow-less Yorkshire for Nottinghamshire, Surrey hosting a wounded Essex and the West Midlands derby in Worcester.

 

Leicestershire cemented the position at the head of Division Two by seeing off Middlesex by seven wickets. It was a low-scoring affair, Peter Handscomb’s 87 the sole half-century, and all Leicester’s bowlers chipped in with wickets. Ian Holland’s 5-35 got them off to a great start and they kept their noses on front thereafter.

 

Derbyshire remain in second place, but they had to fight hard to cling on for a draw against Lancashire at Old Trafford. Luke Wells put the home team firmly in the driving seat with scores of 141 and 50 then, with 42-year-old Jimmy Anderson his old mean self, Lancs had Derby on the rack at 216-8 with around ten overs remaining. However, new ball in hand, not even the former England star could break the ninth-wicket partnership of Anuj Dal and Jack Morley. The latter padded away the off-spin of Tom Hartley, surviving 36 balls for no runs, while Dal was similarly resilient under pressure. 

It was a tense finish at Bristol too, where Gloucestershire kept their heads to beat Kent by three wickets. Batting at eight, Kent’s Grant Stewart blasted a barely credible 182 to lift his side’s total to a decent 424 before Cameron Green (128) and James Bracey (127) shared a fifth-wicket stand of 222 out of 516. A draw was the most likely outcome but three quick wickets by Ben Charlesworth left Gloucester with a gettable target of 162. It was Green again who skilfully held the fort with an unbeaten 67b to seal the success. 

Meanwhile, Glamorgan’s second consecutive win has elevated them from bottom to third. Marnus Labuschagne’s arrival was not the greatest (marked by a seven-ball duck) but Ben Kellaway’ fine form with the bat continued, top-scoring in the first innings with 93. The Glammie seamers provided solid support and Northamptonshire were despatched by eight wickets, consigning them to the dreaded basement slot. 

However, it is all very tight from second to eighth, and positions can change in a week. For the Bank Holiday weekend, Glamorgan welcome Middlesex, Kent travel to Derby and Leicestershire hope to continue their winning ways at home to Lancashire. 

Team of the Week:- L Wells (Lan), Hameed (Not), Clarke (Not), Robinson (Dur +), Green (Glo), Bairstow (Yor), Holland (Lei), Stewart (Ken), J Clark (Sur), Waite (Wor), Abbott (Ham)

County cricket: Surrey off the mark and Leicester leave it late

There were only five Championship matches this week. There were few outstanding individual displays. No 14-year-old prodigies, as in the IPL. Indeed, despite four of the fixtures producing results, there was, amazingly, just one century scored. Stand up, Derbyshire’s Martin Andersson, who made 107 against his old county, Middlesex. At 28, he is twice the age of Rajastani Royal Vaibhav Suryavanshi! 

In Division One, Nottinghamshire easily beat their nearest rivals at the top, Sussex, by nine wickets. Josh Tongue’s first-innings 5-44 signalled his readiness for an England recall, while Haseeb Hameed accumulated a total of 147 runs. 

Surrey finally notched their first win of the campaign against – it pains me to say it – their old rivals Somerset. It wasn’t even close, done and dusted inside three days. The losing skipper Lewis Gregory did his best but his opposite number, Rory Burns kept his head with the bat and Jordan Clark was the pick of his talented attack, taking eight wickets. 

Ironically, two bowlers released by Somerset enjoyed excellent weeks. Jake Ball took 5-47 and 2-27 on his Durham debut as his side swept Worcestershire aside by six wickets with two days to spare. Ben Raine and Codi Yusuf also made hay on a seam-friendly wicket by the Severn. Poor Worcester have yet to register a single batting bonus point. 

Leicestershire continued their bright start to 2025, but Gloucestershire pushed them very close at Bristol. Their ‘keeper James Bracey was the only man to exceed 60 (93 not out) and it was a battle of the bowlers to determine the outcome. The home side’s Dominic Goodman claimed match figures of 9-87 but Ian Holland and Somerset loanee Ben Green were integral to Leicestershire’s two-wicket triumph. With time and wickets running out, it was also Green who struck the winning boundary. 

Derbyshire moved to second despite drawing at home to Middlesex. The aforementioned Andersson, Lloyd, Reece and Came all passed fifty and Zak Chappell weighed in with 4-55 before enforcing the follow-on. Batting again, Middlesex lost Fernandes first ball but Eskinazi (61)and Holden (94) put on 169 for the second wicket and Derbyshire were unable to bowl out their visitors a second time. 

Next up for Derbyshire are bottom side Glamorgan, while Leicestershire welcome Northamptonshire to Grace Road. In Division One, the Bank Holiday weekend fixtures include another tricky one for Somerset, who face Essex at Taunton. The leaders have a blank week, so Durham and Warwickshire can close the gap considerably by defeating Hampshire and Warwickshire, respectively. 

Team of the Week:-  Hameed (Not), Burns (Sur), Holden (Mid), Holland (Lei), Bracey (Glo +), Andersson (Der), Gregory (Som), J Clark (Sur), Goodman (Glo), B Green (Lei), Ball (Dur)

County Cricket: Roach and Smith make it three in a row for Surrey

Both Surrey and Warwickshire could have supplanted Essex at the top with a win, but it was the champions who brushed aside their potential rivals by nine wickets at The Oval. Surrey-born Jamie Smith lashed 155 to establish a handsome first-innings lead. It could have been greater were it not for Craig Miles, whose 5-43 gave little sign of the carnage being inflicted around him. Ed Barnard had reached three figures for the visitors first time out but Surrey paceman Kemar Roach ensured there would be no late-order recovery on Sunday afternoon, taking 6-46. Burns, Sibley and Pope finished the job the next morning. 

At Trent Bridge, Nottinghamshire beat Lancashire by the same margin. It could have been an innings defeat had it not been for 20-year-old wicketkeeper Matt Hurst’s maiden hundred and century partnership with Tom Hartley. However, the game’s outstanding performer was Notts opener and skipper Haseeb Hameed. It feels like forever since, as a promising Lancashire teenager, he was thrown into the England side where he struggled in ten Tests. This summer, too, he failed to make fifty in his first four fixtures, which makes his unbeaten 247 so extraordinary. His score became the highest ever by a Notts player to carry his bat in a completed innings. Hameed was also not out at the conclusion of the match, every minute of which he was on the field. 

Bad light deprived Worcestershire of a likely victory against Kent at Canterbury in a game overshadowed by the sad death last week of young Josh Baker. The Pears occupied the opening five sessions amassing 618-7, including three centurions. Gareth Roderick set the ball rolling with 117 but the daunting total was ultimately extended by the eighth-wicket pair of Jason Holder and Matthew Waite. Mixing patience with pyrotechnics, each reached three figures, the declaration following Waite’s single to take him to 100. Jack Leaning responded with a magnificent 179 which at least ensured Kent survived to earn a draw. 

It was the same outcome at Southampton, where fourth-day rain ensured neither Hampshire nor Durham claimed the sixteen points. Had there been more sparking sunshine, I doubt the result would have been any different because batsmen were in charge. Orr and Prest helped Hampshire to 503, then Bedingham’s 144 shone for Durham, whilst spinners Dawson and Organ wheeled away for a combined 109 overs. 

On Friday, Hampshire travel to Trent Bridge in search of that elusive first victory, whilst Surrey hope to make it a fourth consecutive success at home to Worcestershire. Essex host Warwickshire, both keen to prevent Surrey running away with the Championship. 

Division Two leaders Sussex suffered a surprise loss against Glamorgan. With heavy rain forecast (correctly, it transpired) in Cardiff for Monday, it was imperative to round things off early, but it was the Welsh side who dominated. It’s not often that Glamorgan take twenty wickets but Mir Hamza and Andy Gorvin claimed thirteen between them. The home side’s batting success rested on the shoulders of Kiran Carlsen and Coin Ingram, whose fifth-wicket stand of 315 broke the county record. 

In the only other fixture, Gloucestershire also celebrate a sizeable winning margin, 256 runs. Miles Hammond’s 112 and Marchant de Lange’s 5-42 had already floored Northamptonshire, only for them to rub their hosts’ noses in the dirt by extending the lead to an imposing 557, thanks in part to Cameron Bancroft’s 130 not out. Gay, Procter and Nazir did their best but could not last until close of play. 

Only Derbyshire sit below Northants on the table and next they meet each other at Derby. Glamorgan host Middlesex, Leicestershire welcome Gloucestershire while Sussex look to get their promotion ambitions back on track at home to winless Yorkshire. 

Team of the Week:- Hameed (Not), Roderick (Wor +), Smith (Sur), Leaning (Ken), Carlson (Gla), Ingram (Gla), Roach (Sur), Waite (Wor), de Lange (Glo), Gorvin (Gla), Miles (War)

Hampshire thwarted by final pair

The Group 2 leaders Hampshire and Gloucestershire met at Southampton and, bolstered by tons from Holland and Alsop, it was the home side who looked set for a resounding victory on the final afternoon. However, with one-day specialist Iain Cockbain showing the necessary grit, final pair Josh Shaw and Exeter undergraduate Dominic Goodman then held on for eighteen overs, withstanding everything Abbott, Abbas, Crane et al could throw at them. 

They still occupy the top two positions despite Somerset buncing back to defeat Leicestershire. Craig Overton starred with the ball, his 5-25 ensuring Abell and Lammonby had a relatively straightforward run chase. In the other fixture, Middlesex clinched London bragging rights, sweeping aside Surrey’s stars by ten wickets at Lord’s. Old hands Tim Murtagh and Toby Roland Jones did most of the damage with the ball. 

In Group 1, Warwickshire have clear water at the top, handing Essex a rare Championship defeat at Edgbaston. After three even days, you’d be forgiven for expecting Jamie Porter and Simon Harmer to rip through the home team on day four but you’d be wrong. 21 year-old Robert Yates ended on 120 not out, supported by Hain and Vihari confounding expectations. 

Worcestershire were in the driving seat for most of their game against Nottinghamshire, thanks to century partnerships for the first and eighth wickets. After following on, Notts openers Ben Slater and Haseeb Hameed dug throughout the last day to ensure a draw. The openers duly achieved stands of more than a hundred in each innings and Hameed’s two innings spanned well over thirteen hours and a record 635 balls. Nice to see him find form after three fallow years. 

Batsmen were dominant, too, at Chester-le-Street. Durham were given a cracking start by South African right-hander David Bedingham whose 257 not out inflated their first innings total to 475 and his first-class average to more than 50. Durham declined to enforce the follow-on and Wayne Madsen’s batsmen avoided mishap to avoid defeat quite easily. 

The Roses bloomed in Group 3. At Canterbury, Lancashire trounced Kent by an innings. An eighth wicket stand of 187 by Wood and Lamb boosted the first innings total to 525 and despite a second innings 114 by Daniel Bell-Drummond, Lancashire pressed home their advantage. Matt Parkinson spun his way to 7-126 so the visitors didn’t need to bat again. Yorkshire also won, but in a much closer contest against Sussex. Dom Bess recorded his maiden five-for wearing the white rose to finish things off. 

Glamorgan must have been gutted over losing at Northampton. Kiran Carlsen followed his pair of hundreds last week with two fifties, while skipper Chris Cooke stroked a first–innings 136. With James Harris back at his old county on loan, the Welsh had Northants on the ropes on 76-5 only for the lower order to launch a major recovery. They also declared to give themselves two and a half sessions to bowl the home team out only for Ricardo Vasconcelos and Rob Keogh to share a 239-run partnership, not only staving off defeat but also to help surpass the unlikely target of 355. 

The next round of fixtures should see Hampshire and Gloucestershire widening the gap on the rest in Group 2 by beating Surrey and Leicestershire, respectively. West Midland rivals Warwickshire and Worcestershire go head to head at Edgbaston while in Group 3, Lancashire look to tighten their grip with victory over Sussex. 

Team of the Week: Slater (Not), Hameed (Not), Vasconcelos (Nor), Bedingham (Dur), Keogh (Nor), Cooke (Gla +), Higgins (Glo), Roland-Jones (Mid), Bess (Yor), C Overton (Som) M Parkinson (Lan)

Leach spins Somerset to the top

At Trent Bridge it was not so much a game of two halves as one of three thirds. After inserting Nottinghamshire on the opening morning, Somerset let the seamers do some damage, with Lewis Gregory (6-68) in particular maintaining his April form. The visitors could have suffered the same fate were it not for a double-century partnership between Tom Abell and George Bartlett before Broad polished off the tail. On the third day, new signing Jack Brooks chipped in with 4-22 but it was spinner Jack Leach whose six-for wrapped up a maximum-point victory, hoisting Somerset to the summit of Division One., just as the month break for the One-Day Cup kicks in. Ho-hum…

Last week’s leaders Hampshire returned to Earth with a brutal bump. They were beaten by an innings on home turf by Yorkshire, for whom Gary Ballance and Joe Root were again in the runs. Leaning and Tattersall extended the total to an impressive 554-7 declared. In reply, Sam Northeast fell one short of a second successive century and Liam Dawson followed his 60-over bowling stint with two fifties but Patterson and Coad wrecked Hampshire’s attempt at rescuing the match.

Kent also racked up 500+ and enforced the follow-on against Warwickshire at Edgbaston. Zak Crawley and 20 year-old stand-in ‘keeper Ollie Robinson each reached three figures, as did the home side’s opener Dominic Sibley whose 132 was his fifth hundred in consecutive first-class fixtures. The second innings was heading for a disaster until Tim Ambrose and teenager Henry Brookes put on 141 for the eighth wicket and forced Kent to bat again to clinch the win.

The last two champions, Surrey and Essex, played out an evenly-matched draw at The Oval. The Londoners’ big guns all garnered some runs but Essex relied heavily on Dan Lawrence and skipper Ryan Ten Doeschate to compete in the first innings.

In Division Two, Worcestershire opened their account with a handsome victory at Leicester. Mitchell, Rutherford and Cox all scored centuries in a total of 553-6 but Leicestershire found it tough to emulate them. Charlie Morris claimed a career-best 7-45 and applied the coup-de-grace on the final morning with Paul Horton’s men still eighteen adrift.

Meanwhile, Sussex consigned Durham to a second successive defeat in a low-scoring contest at Chester-le-Street. All was fairly even-Stevens until Stiaan van Zyl held his nerve in the second innings, just managing to make a century as Sussex won by six wickets. Two of the favourites for promotion met at Lord’s and it was Lancashire who prevailed easily. After two miserable seasons, Haseeb Hameed finally struck a first-class hundred, but it was Glenn Maxwell’s off-breaks which proved decisive on day four.

The Cardiff pitch came in for justified criticism as it was a terribly one-sided affair. Batsmen filled their boots – six striking tons – and Northamptonshire piled on 750, the highest score ever seen at Sophia Gardens, spanning 227 tedious overs. Northants opener Ricardo Vasconcelos top-scored with 184 while for Glamorgan Billy Root achieved his maiden hundred for his new county, out-performing his brother Joe for a change. Mind you my dear departed grandmother could probably have driven a few boundaries on such a batting track!

To be honest, there weren’t many more wickets falling at Bristol although there were no records broken. The final day saw Derbyshire aggregate almost 300 runs for the loss of just one wicket, as Wayne Madsen cruised to a double, and Alex Hughes 109 not out. The result with Gloucestershire may have been a tame draw but it does place Derbyshire top of the table as we head into one-day territory. Enjoy it while it lasts, lads!

Team of the Week: Vasconcelos (Nor), Hameed (Lan), Ballance (Yor), Madsen (Der), Van Zyl (Sus), Robinson (Ken +), Gregory (Som), Wiese (Sus), Morris (Wor), Murtagh (Mid), Leach (Som)

India Rub It In

An eight-wicket victory inside four days would seem to be a sign of total dominance. Yet I’m not totally convinced there’s a chasm between India and England.

So much these days can rest upon the toss of a coin, especially if the pitch is set up to be a raging turner or a seamer’s paradise green top. Mohali was neither, and Alastair Cook’s side failed miserably to turn what advantage there was in batting first into a win. All of India’s bowlers took wickets as, Jonny Bairstow apart, their opponents struggled to establish themselves at the crease.

At the end of Day 2, India were only three runs ahead of England’s first innings total, with six wickets down. Keeping them to 350 would keep the match nicely balanced. However, Ashwin, Jadeja and Jayant Yadav proceeded to do what no other Indian seven, eight and nine have done in their history: score half-centuries. Indeed, Jadeja came close to three figures as his side built a healthy 134-run lead.

Nevertheless, if England could set a target of 200+, all was not completely lost. This was another situation perfect for Cook and young Hameed. Knuckle down, get to stumps then construct a platform on which Root, Bairstow et al could push the score past 300. Except that Hameed was absent with a mysterious injury. And except that Ashwin, Jadeja and Yadav were simply too good for the English top order, just as they had been too good for their bowlers the day before.

Root had opened and lasted 66 overs before Jadeja beat him with spin and Rahane took a fine slip catch. Meanwhile Hameed made a belated appearance to pass 50 and hold the tail together for a bit longer. However, fine bowling by Shami and a dodgy call for a second run left the Lancastrian high and dry on 59, and India requiring a mere 103 to take a 2-0 lead.

The Barmy Army clung to a shred of optimism when a Woakes bouncer induced a run-less Vijay to edge to second slip with the score at 7. However, that simply brought Pujara to the middle. He and Parthiv Patel, recalled after an eight-year absence, seemed very keen to finish things off by stumps. Patel thumped 11 fours and a six and it was all over.

I’m not sure if they celebrated silently but they’d have been well within their rights to remind Ben Stokes about the result! Even worse: Australia ended their dreadful run against South Africa.

So what can England do to pull it back? Well, that’s a tough one to answer. Jos Buttler couldn’t produce the runs and Gareth Batty certainly wasn’t going to do any more than join any sledging war that might have been taking place. Ballance and Ansari are no better alternatives and Duckett has been removed from the firing line ‘for his own good’. That just leaves a choice of bringing someone in from the Lions (are they even allowed to do that?) or making more of an effort at Mumbai.

The task has been made even harder because Hameed’s hand injury requires surgery and his tour is prematurely ended. Kohli and co must be laughing. More so since Pakistan, rivals for the ICC number one spot, suffered a 2-0 defeat in New Zealand. In Mumbai, England have nothing to lose.

India and England serve up a tasty appetiser

The First Test result may say ‘Drawn’ but I reckon England will claim the upper hand in readiness for the Second. Before the start I stuck my neck out for a 2-2 series score and I see nothing to make me change my mind.

When Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes strode back to the pavilion after day one at 311-4, all those fears of a ‘brownwash’ evaporated completely. I was shocked to read that no visiting Test batsman had reached three figures for three years. By the time England were eventually bowled out for 537, no fewer than three men had made hundreds!

Joe Root, Ali and Stokes knuckled down to compile big scores, although an embarrassment of dropped catches definitely helped. In the second innings, Alastair Cook made it four centuries but it was the man who fell 18 short who made most headlines.

Haseeb Hameed came close to becoming the youngest England centurion for donkeys’ years and suddenly he’s being touted as the opening partner for Cook we’ve been waiting for. Let’s not get too carried away just yet! I was apprehensive about the 19 year-old Lancastrian’s chances. Yes, he enjoyed a reasonably successful summer. However, after picking up a couple of hundreds in the August Roses encounter, his performances tailed off somewhat. Nevertheless, he has few serious competitors and selectors saw a fine technique against spin. Hats off to him; he took his chance well.

As usual, England raided the Oval dressing room, picking a Surrey opener, too. However, they played Zafar Ansari at ten, just ahead of Stuart Broad in his 100th Test match. Yet it was Adil Rashid who proved the most successful bowler, despite Chris Woakes’ typically tight spells and Moeen’s unusual economy.

In the end, they needed just four more wickets to turn a certain draw into an unlikely victory. However, India played their part in an excellent game of cricket. Vijay and Pujara, himself in a rich vein of form this autumn, also struck decent hundreds in the first innings to keep the deficit below 50. Who knows what might have happened had Virat Kohli not misjudged his back foot position while executing a pull, and hit his own wicket?

There was no obvious danger from the Indian bowlers, Yadav in particular, but Ashwin, Mishra and Jadeja will shine again before the year is out. Yes, both sides went for a triple-spin option and that’s probably how India will continue. I suspect the same won’t be true of England once Jimmy Anderson returns from injury, probably at Mohali.

Anyway, things are nicely set up for Visakhapatnam over on the east coast. If England’s batsmen demonstrate the same application and patience, they will not be bowled out twice, so India have a real job on their hands to get back to their winning ways.

Great week for Middlesex and Surrey

The open nature of the County Championship was again much in evidence after the latest round of matches. Non-playing Somerset slipped to fifth but aren’t out of the running. Nor, it can be said, are Hampshire, in eighth place!

However, Middlesex’s crushing defeat of Durham, only their fourth of the season, extended their lead at the top to 26 points. Nicks Gubbins and Compton shared a second-wicket stand of 247, then Ollie Rayner was the star bowler (4-17 and 5-85) as the visitors crumbled twice. No Durham batsmen managed even a half-century.

Yorkshire have a game in hand but failed to beat their Roses rivals at Old Trafford in a high-scoring match. Alex Lees scored 199 runs for the away team but Lancashire opener Haseeb Hameed is on a hot streak right now. He picked up a couple of centuries, ably supported by Tom Smith, leaving Yorkshire, bolstered by Root and Bairstow, no time to meet the formidable target.

Surrey are also flying right now, leaping to third after seeing off Warwickshire by 226 runs with a solid all-round performance. Sam Curran’s 62 and match stats of 6-76 were probably the key contributions, along with Kumar Sangakkara’s 135 runs.

Hampshire won the battle of the bottom two by 176 runs, leaving Nottinghamshire in serious trouble. Wheater struck 102 early on but Scottish teenager Brad Wheal’s second innings 6-51 proved decisive.

In Division Two, Essex also collected win number four, making mincemeat of Derbyshire who have yet to record a single Championship success. Nick Browne pursued his penchant for big scores, making an unbeaten 229, before Ravi Bopara and Graham Napier led the way with the ball. The home team’s ex-Essex opener, now Derby captain, Ben Godleman did manage a hundred but all in vain.

At Northampton, Ned Eckersley scored his third successive century, and team-mates Cosgrove and Pettini also reached three figures for Leicestershire. However, Rob Newton was instrumental in depriving the opposition of a crucial victory, aggregating 224 without losing his wicket.

Sussex collected maximum points in their demolition of Gloucestershire at Hove. Luke Wells and Ben Brown stroked hundreds for the home side but Michael Klinger couldn’t follow his first-innings 129 with another big score and they failed to make Sussex bat again. Worcestershire’s promotion challenge faltered at home to Glamorgan, who delighted in a rare win. Bragg and Morgan scored the all-important runs and Mark Wallace bagged nine catches behind the stumps. A shame for Worcester’s Joe Leach, who was the stand-out all-rounder on display.

It wasn’t Worcestershire’s day, either, in the Royal London Cup quarter-finals. Somerset massacred them by nine wickets with several overs to spare at Taunton. Mahela Jayawardene rewarded his county’s patience with a beautifully-judged 117 not out. They will now take a trip to Edgbaston, after Warwickshire beat Essex by 70 runs. Jonathan Trott’s 101 set them on their way before his spinners finished the job.

It was a closer finish in the Yorkshire-Kent encounter at Canterbury, but the England trio of Willey, Plunkett and Adil Rashid wiped out the tail when Kent looked set for victory in their chase. However, you couldn’t have witnessed a more exciting climax than the one served up by Surrey at Northants. The home side had Surrey nine men down with 14 balls remaining and 27 required. That they succeeded was almost entirely down to the brilliance of Sangakkara, who farmed the strike, hitting a six and four in the final over. Had he not been dropped on seven, things may have been rather different!


Team of the Week: Browne (Ess), Newton (Nor), Hameed (Lan), Sangakkara (Sur), Bragg (Gla), Brown (Sus +), Franklin (Mid), Leach (Wor), Napier (Ess), Rayner (Mid), Wheal (Ham)