County Cricket: Northants Blast Off!

 The Vitality Blast was launched last week with seemingly muted fanfare. 2025 sees relatively few overseas superstars joining the counties for an occasional batting cameo or a couple of wickets. The New Zealand trio of Williamson, Neesham and Santner didn’t exactly set the game alight this week, and the one outstanding performance came from an English regular of the county circuit. 

Twenty20 in this county tends to be a completely unpredictable affair, with unlikely stars and even more unlikely winners. In the North division, it is Northamptonshire enjoying the success of a 4-game 100|% record and a red-ball specialist, Keaton Jennings, the highest scorer to date. His 95 for Lancashire against Nottinghamshire is the highest individual mark so far, coming from only 49 balls. In that match, he shared an opening stand of 177 with Luke Wells, for whom the Blast was surely made.

 Other all-rounders fared quite well. Dvid Willey has returned to Northamptonshire, contributing eight wickets and 133 runs. Sam Curran had his moments for Surrey, young James Coles (Sussex) biffed some useful boundaries while Hampshire’s Liam Dawson may well have added to his four wickets had he not been swiped by England. Veterans Samit Patel and Ravi Bopara each crunched an unbeaten eighty-something and Jimmy Anderson proved that a class bowler can succeed in any format, even in his forties. 

The Bears’ Sam Hain maintained his Championship batting form at a super rate of knots, and his fellow Bear – neither Warwickshire nor Birmingham – Alex Davies was the ‘keeper-batsman of the week. Jason Roy seemed happier in his T20 domain. Having bagged a pair for Surrey last week, he opened his 2025 Vitality account with a 92. 

However, the ace performer must be 36-year-old seamer Ben Sanderson. Before Friday, he already had a 4-15 to his name, against Leicestershire, but he managed to snatch four wickets in ONE OVER! Worcestershire were by this stage already beaten but he polished things off with a hat-trick from the very last ball of the innings.

Behind them, Lancashire and Leicestershire each have three victories, but the latter defeated the former by five wickets when they met at Old Trafford. At the other end of the table, Derbyshire and Yorkshire have yet to get off the mark. The most prolific runfest was witnessed at Trent Bridge where Jack Haynes’ magnificent 89 not out helped chase down the Bears’ target of 227 with five balls to spare. 

In the South, Somerset and Hampshire have the only 100% records to date. Matt Henry and Riley Meredith have been the pick of a useful attack, and the top order, even without Banton, has done enough to win all three games batting second. Hampshire’s most decisive performance was their 106-run battering of Essex, featuring excellent bowling by Scott Currie and Dawson. 

Next week, Northants face Lancashire, Durham and the Bears, and one of the highlights must be Somerset’s trip up the A38 to Bristol for the West Country derby.

Team of the Week:- Jennings (Lan), Roy (Sur), Davies (War +), Hain (War), Haynes (Not), S Curran (Sur), Coles (Sus), Willey (Nor), Bess (Yor), Currie (Ham), Sanderson (Nor)  

Sri Lanka and England keep the Records Flowing

A few weeks ago I read with great interest Andy Zaltzman’s article for BBC Sport, analysing data proving that in Test cricket fast bowlers have been fighting back against the bat’s dominance. Innings of 500+ are becoming thankfully rarer and we’re seeing more sides bowled out. Kabiso Rabada has been a consistent performer in the past two years, averaging little more than 20, and Kemar Roach was irresistible against England.

Perhaps it is no coincidence that this comes alongside higher and higher ODI scores. When at Bridgetown yesterday the Windies fashioned an innings of 360-8, I bet nobody batted an eye nor wrote off England’s chances of hunting down such a huge target. After a lethargic start, Chris Gayle – now resembling more a genial Kingston tourist boat skipper than a sportsman - clubbed 12 sixes (out of a record 23 in the entire innings) in his 24^th ODI century, but Jason Roy and Joe Root each reached three figures in pulling, cutting, driving and slog-sweeping their way to victory with more than an over to spare.

There have been only two higher successful run chases in ODI history, both achieved by South Africa. In October 2016 at Durban, Australia won the toss and duly savaged the home attack. Dale Steyn’s ten overs went for a remarkable 96 runs as Warner and Smith made hay. However, David Miller’s unbeaten 118 ensured the 372 target was reached without too much hassle, albeit off a second-string bowling line-up. It’s now thirteen years since the grand-daddy of them all, when at Jo’burg, Herschelle Gibbs et al squeaked home with 438-9. It’s an extraordinary record but one which will surely be beaten in the next year or two. I wouldn’t bet against England doing it at the next World Cup.

However, the most intriguing record this month was Sri Lanka’s astonishing comeback, again at Durban but this time at the expense of their hosts. Bowlers had again been on top during the first three days and, when Steyn and friends had extended that dominance to have Sri Lanka on the ropes at 226-9, a South Africa victory looked assured. Kusal Perera, batting at number five, looked set to be stranded not far short of his hundred.

Most teams would probably have adopted T20 mode and gone for broke; if we’re gonna lose, might as well go out in a blaze of glory. Not Sri Lanka. New batsman Vishra Fernando played it sensibly while at the other end Perera marshalled the strike brilliantly. Not even a world-class seam attack could break the stand, and Perera steered his side to triumph by punishing the poor ball (five sixes) and keeping a calm head in a tenth-wicket partnership of 78. Such a stand was not only the highest ever in a successful chase in a Test, but in any first-class match. The previous best had come way back in 1936.

Perera’s innings of 153 not out must be one of the best performances of all time, especially in the context of current bowling pre-eminence. This is one record which could endure for many years to come.

It’s a Blast for Boom-Boom

Sarfraz and Imad prevent the Whitewash

Congratulations go to Pakistan for winning the fifth and final ODI, and to England for taking the series. Special plaudits should also go to the Sophia Gardens groundstaff for ensuring the match went ahead on schedule, despite the prolonged spell of rain over the preceding 24 hours.

Sun may have been in short supply during the match, too, but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience from seat H28, Block 2 in front of the pavilion. Graeme Swann might find 50-over cricket boring but a game like this was far more edifying fare than a brutal beer-and-boundary-fest.

Put in by Azhar Ali, England looked in control from the start. Alex Hales and Jason Roy produced some crisp strokes before the former chipped Amir to mid-on in the fifth over. There was time for one beautifully timed pull to square leg from Joe Root before he played on. Eoin Morgan then, initially, Ben Stokes struggled but Roy kept his side on a consistent seven-an-over pace.
However, despite hauling Shoaib Malik for two sixes, the two spinners Malik and Swansea’s own Imad Wasim were putting the brakes on the England innings. There was clearly not to be another 400+ total.

Stokes showed his power by clubbing a pair of low trajectory straight sixes off third spinner Nawaz, but even the feisty all-rounder was laid low when an inside edge rearranged his ‘crown jewels’ and prompted a lengthy delay in proceedings! By 40 overs, the run rate was a tad above six an over but when Hasan and Amir retuned, the wickets fell thick and fast. The Pakistan fans on the far side of the ground were chanting Amir’s name and he responded by steaming in from the Cathedral Road end, piling the pressure onto Woakes, debutant Dawson, Willey and Jordan. Some late blows managed to squeeze England past the important 300 mark but it seemed like an opportunity missed.

Such has been Pakistan’s miserable ODI campaign, it seemed rather unlikely that they would attain the 303 target, especially as Glamorgan’s pitch is not known for its run-friendly reputation. Sharjeel scratched around for four overs but when he mistimed a ball from Chris Woakes, the arrival of Babar to join his skipper prompted an improvement.

Woakes’ fifth over went for thirteen and I wondered if we may have a real contest on here. Then when Matt Wood snaffled both batsmen in the fourteenth over, Azhar after lengthy consideration by the video umpire, it looked like business as usual. 15 overs gone: 79-3; 15 short of England at the same stage. Sarfraz Ahmed and Shoaib Malik, possessor of one of the worst batting records in England of any Pakistan batsman, would have to hit the ground running. They did.

The arrival of Dawson’s spin strengthened their resolve. Sarfraz in particular got the message that he had to move his feet and attack the slow bowler. There were some massive shots which didn’t quite cross the distant boundary rope and some bold sweeps to fine leg but it was Shoaib who struck the first six, well into the main grandstand. Dawson’s first four overs had conceded 41 runs and he was taken out of the firing line.

By this time, Pakistan were ahead of England. Stokes and Wood were going for a steady six or seven an over but the fourth wicket pair still had plenty to do. I thought the tourists could do it but if the partnership was broken, they couldn’t. Dawson was reintroduced in the 38th over. What was Morgan thinking? Sarfraz prepared for a few more giant blows to reach another well-deserved century. Then the debutant tossed one up, Sarfraz saw long-on glory but didn’t get enough on it. At long-on, Hales used his height wisely and made an awkward overhead catch look easy. Two overs later, Dawson got his other man as Shoaib found Roy at long-off.

57 still needed in ten overs. On the face of it, not an impossible task. But this is Pakistan we’re talking about. The 43rd over proved to be a wicket maiden for Willey but by this time Rizwan had his eye in. Dawson conceded another ten to make his figures the worst ever by an England debutant! Morgan gamely brought the field in close but the seventh wicket pair managed to nick enough singles, twos and fours to raise the nose levels amongst the Pakistan fans. A firm drive to the long-off boundary from Jordan finished things off with more than two overs to spare.

Pakistan deserved something from the series so I was glad to see Azhar Ali and his charges have something to celebrate. I decided to stay for the presentations. Interestingly, I was one of the few non-Pakistan fans gathering close to the hastily-assembled podiums. It wasn’t only the men in green receiving the cheers. England’s non-playing Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid also garnered generous applause, their Asian heritage clearly making its mark. It was nice to see.

England may have won the series, breaking a world record along the way, and setting them up for an interesting winter and next summer’s Champions Trophy. At least Pakistan proved to themselves they are capable of chasing a 300 target outside Asia, something they had never done before. Improving their ranking of nine in 50-over cricket may prove tougher….

Yorkshire surge a-Head

While England were giving Pakistan a hiding in Test cricket, the remaining county players were involved in a week of the white ball stuff. Most sides played a couple of Royal London Cup group fixtures before a Friday night of T20 Blast.

Yorkshire are top of the North group in the 50-over competition and heading for the Blast quarter-finals, too. Travis Head and Jack Leaning shared a county record stand of 274 against Leicestershire the young Aussie left-hander making 175 in 139 balls. Leaning also thrashed a 29-ball 64 against Northants later in the week. If the specialists didn’t make the runs, then the likes of Tim Bresnan stepped up to the mark.

Jesse Ryder starred with the bat for Essex, who lead the South division with Somerset. The latter won both their games, gaining revenge for recent defeats at the hands of Middlesex. Peter Trego doesn’t bowl much these days but against the Londoners, he followed a century with a useful 2-27. A shame Somerset are struggling so badly in the Blast. With no chance of qualifying for the knockouts, they fielded a very unfamiliar team against Hampshire and received a sound beating. Liam Dawson took 5-17.

Northants had a mixed week. Lying second in the Blast North division, they welcomed back Ben Duckett after his prolific one-day performances for the England Lions. He didn’t score any more centuries but contributed quite a few runs to the cause. Instead, Richard Keogh struck 134 in 110 balls in the win over Durham.

There were other ton-makers, too. Sam Hain also hit 107 for Warwickshire (against Durham again), while Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Worcs), Paul Stirling and, in a rare outing, Eoin Morgan for Middlesex, Riki Wessels (Notts) and Joe Denly (Kent) also got in the act. Surrey’s opener Jason Roy hit the highest T20 score of the week – a 62-ball 120 against Kent – but special plaudits go Colin Ingram’s way. He reached three figures in each format for Glamorgan, although sadly his 101 off the Essex attack was in vain. The Welsh side endured two no-results, although they were already guaranteed a place in the quarters.

Bowlers pitched in, too. In addition to Dawson, there were five-fors from Gareth Batty, Rikki Clarke and the Northants pair Azharullah and Gleeson. Kent’s Matt Coles was recalled and nabbed six Hampshire wickets, albeit for 56 runs.

So what next in the Blast? For all Roy’s heroics this week, and Surrey’s encouragingly large crowds this summer, the county narrowly failed to qualify, edged out by Essex whose last game was abandoned thanks to rain. In a few weeks’ time, Essex now face a trip to Trent Bridge, where the Notts batsmen have been in fine form this year. Northants will host Middlesex, Gloucestershire play Durham, while Glamorgan will welcome Yorkshire to Sophia Gardens. That could be a real cracker, especially if Ingram and Head come – er - head to head.

Team of the Week: Roy (Sur), Hain (War), Head (Yor), Leaning (Yor), Ingram (Gla), Trego (Som), Ambrose (War +), McLaren (Ham), Bresnan (Yor), Coles (Ken), Gleeson (Nor)

England v New Zealand – Memorable but for the wrong reasons?

Now that we’ve all caught our breath, it’s time to reflect on the truly memorable ODI series between England and New Zealand. I always felt it would be a competitive contest between a side in captain Brendon McCullum’s mould and one desperately seeking to copy it after that dismal World Cup just a few months earlier. And so it proved.

However, the astonishing turnaround in England’s fortunes must have surprised most onlookers. Of course, the pitches, boundary distances, bat technology and fielding restrictions have all been created to boost run rates and the six count. All that was needed for England to capitalise was introduce the ethos of ‘take a gamble; there’s somebody else padded up should you get out’. The bold policy of picking a bunch of T20 specialists signalled the new regime’s intention and all the players had to do is carry it out to the letter.

Easier said than done, of course, and the Black Caps, as England found out to their cost in the World Cup, are amongst the best in the business when it comes to the fifty-over format. Nevertheless, it has been an exhilarating series for the batsmen and spectators who drool over a succession of heaves over square leg, ragged top-edges over third man and flicks into the crowd just 50 metres from the crease. The records racked up rapidly;
- The most runs in a series of five or fewer matches (3,151);
- The highest ever run rate a five-match rubber (7.15 an over)
- England’s first ever score of 400 (408-9 at Edgbaston)
- England’s biggest winning margin (210 runs, in the same game)
- The fastest ever England century (by Jos Buttler – again!)

And yet New Zealand would have triumphed had Jonny Bairstow not stepped up to the plate in the rain-hit decider at Chester-le-Street! When Joe Root and Buttler smashed centuries in the first game, we knew something special was on the cards. 27 sixes featured in the second at The Oval, where England narrowly failed thanks to the Duckworth/Lewis intervention. At the Rose Bowl, it was the turn of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor to plunder hundreds in a well-measured run chase, before the feat was repeated by Root and Eoin Morgan at Trent Bridge. Here, England made a target of 350 look ridiculously easy. The clincher in the North East included fewer runs and ‘only’ seven sixes but far more drama.

The statistics show that Williamson, Taylor, Morgan and Root each aggregated more than 250 runs, the former finishing on an amazing 396. Of the fifteen players who faced at least 50 balls, only three had strike rates of under 100 per 100 balls. Curiously these were Taylor, Martin Guptill and England’s supposedly big-hitting opener Jason Roy. Morgan’s six tally of 16 easily outnumbered anybody else’s but I have more respect for Willamson’s ability to find the gaps, collecting a mightily impressive 49 fours throughout the series.

So it was all brilliant, wasn’t it? Not if you’re a bowler, it wasn’t! Nobody took even ten wickets. Ben Stokes, Steve Finn and Adil Rashid led the way and, while Mark Wood claimed only two at 78.5 apiece, his economy rate was a very commendable 5.23. Chris Jordan and Neil McCullum went for at least nine an over. The balance between bat and ball has become hideously distorted, but one good thing has been the standard of fielding. Catches will always be dropped occasionally but the athleticism in the deep is better than it has ever been. Just think about the Southee-Boult boundary ‘relay catch’ in the second ODI. And in recent years, Southee seems to make this look routine.

I don’t know whether such a runfest is good for cricket but it will add to the already massive Ashes mania, and boost Sky TV ratings. Bums on seats are already assured, even at Cardiff, although sadly mine won’t be amongst them. Too expensive and not enough remaining holiday entitlement! In my view, from an England perspective, Hales, Roy and Billings have not justified their own hype. However, the series has demonstrated once again that, for all the country’s previously poor recent ODI performances, especially at home, Joe Root and Jos Buttler are world-class.

The other element to celebrate is the spirit in which the series was conducted. McCullum and Morgan are fierce competitors but good friends, and it showed. In this respect, Broad and Anderson were not missed at all. England fans should doff a cap to New Zealand for showing their side how 50-over cricket can be played. Now we just need to allow spectators to admire the skills of Southee, Boult, Henry, Finn et al as bowlers rather than as six-fodder!

Twenty20 Finals Day: Bears have a Blast

So, after a few months and 122 matches, an encouragingly big crowd at Edgbaston were treated to a dry (but cool) day and a home side victory in the inaugural NatWest T20 Blast tournament. Personally I think the more structured scheduling over a longer period has been a plus. If some of the big international names couldn't commit to the summer, that's a price worth paying to preserve the perfect mix of fun stuff and proper cricket in the form of the County Championship, which in turn breeds the England Test stars of the future.

As for the domestic T20 competition climax, my interest was somewhat diminished by the rare absence of Somerset and the qualification of Surrey. However I was glad to see the likes of Pietersen (13 runs in 16 balls), Dernbach (0-56!) and Batty knocked out by the Birmingham Bears (henceforth to be referred to as Warwickshire) in the first semi-final. Will Porterfield is not renowned as a big-hitting limited over specialist but his unbeaten 81, featuring five sixes, was the highest score of the day and, with the tight spin bowling of Ateeq Javid, was crucial to the Bears' progression. Jason Roy's brisk half-century for Surrey was ultimately in vain.

In the other semi, Lancashire fielded current England Test players Jimmy Anderson and Jos Buttler, along with other internationals past and present in Prince, Khawaja, Kabir Ali and Parry. Smith (Tom) fell to Smith (Will) first ball but Ashwell Prince and Karl Brown rescued the innings. Hampshire's response was a disaster. Jimmy Adams made 53 but Carberry's 10 was the next best as all Lancashire bowlers took wickets steadily throughout the afternoon. The perennial semi-finalists were not to win this year.

The final was to prove a much more exciting affair, heightened by the inclusion of celebrity Lancashire all-rounder Andrew Flintoff in place of the injured Ali. That he took Ian Bell's wicket with his first delivery and, after two consecutive sixes, threatened to complete the fairytale script and clinch an unlikely victory, merely added to the already heady atmosphere under the floodlights. However, the likes of Bears skipper Varun Chopra, Chris Woakes, Boyd Rankin and man of the match Laurie Evans saw Warwickshire home by four runs with Parry, not Flintoff, needing to hit the last-ball six needed to take the trophy in front of the home fans.

As for the tournament as a whole, Jason Roy and Luke Wright were the stand-out batsmen while a whole clutch of spinners and a few seamers caught the eye for bowling consistency across the summer. Wright's spell as an England T20 specialist seems to have ended but he is still under 30 and his 153 not out at Chelmsford Essex in July was the second of his Blast hundreds this season. Tim Westley of Essex also delivered two centuries but, while making no three-figures scores, Surrey's Roy did his future England credentials no harm by aggregating 677 runs from fifteen games, including nine 50s, at a strike rate of 157. That's way ahead of Hales, Carberry, Taylor, Morgan, Trego and Bopara, to name but six other contenders.

With the ball, Dirk Nannes was one of the few globe-trotting pros to deliver value for money, this year in the service of Somerset. His tally of 24 wickets led the table before Jeetan Patel pipped him by one on Finals Day. Over fifteen matches, the Warwickshire Kiwi conceded scarcely a run a ball. Michael Hogan (Glamorgan), Kabir Ali and Junaid Khan (both Lancashire) also led the fast bowler brigade but for a combination of wickets and economy, the stellar performers were Patel, Hampshire's Danny Briggs and relative bowling novice Will Smith plus Middlesex's new left-armer Ravi Patel. Watch out for his rise over the next few years. Briggs hasn't progressed from T20 promise to first-class finished product but maybe this 23 year-old will buck the trend of T20-only bowlers like Parry.

Well done, Warwickshire/Birmingham, and my T20 Blast team of the year is as follows:- Roy (Sur), Wright (Sus), Westley (Ess), Allenby (Glam), S Patel (Not), Stevens (Kent), Wilson (Sur +,*), J Patel (War), Briggs (Ham), Nannes (Som), R Patel (Mid).

Your name doesn't have to be Patel to be a successful T20 slow bowler, but it seems to help! Now for the England-India ODIs and the Championship finale...

Team of the Week ending 13th June: Rory, Ravi and Roy rip it up!

No double-centuries in the County Championship this week, but 23 year-old opener Rory Burns came pretty close. He was one of three Surrey centurions in the drawn game against Gloucestershire but, one short of a first-ever 'double', Alex Gidman caught him off Liam Norwell's bowling. Michael Klinger also reached three figures in the home side's response but my other opener of the week is Michael Carberry. Dropped by England for the Sri Lanka Test series, the Hampshire man struck 125 in the top-of-the-table clash with Worcestershire, adding a 25-ball 38 in the T20 a few days later.

Ravi Bopara was also back on county duty, thumping runs for fun in both formats. His brilliant 162 for Essex preceded two brutal 20-over blasts - 81 against Kent and 66 off the Gloucestershire attack. Ed Joyce has been in fine form for Sussex all summer and he added another century in Sussex's defeat to Somerset. He also demonstrated that he is not a one-trick pony by knocking 45 in 32 balls in the biff-bash Surrey game.

I've already mentioned the Burns 199 but his team-mate Jason Roy also achieved a career best for Surrey. In the same innings, he destroyed the weak bowling with 121 in 71 balls, and took 3-9 for good measure. In the T20 clash with Sussex, his unbeaten 81 from 43 balls helped his side to a ten-wicket triumph. Jesse Ryder normally earns plaudits for his beefy batsmanship but his bowling stats were radically improved by a double five-wicket haul for Essex in the Championship. His T20 cameos may not have been in the Bopara class but nonetheless wins him a place in the week's XI.

Darren Stevens is never far from contention and the Kent all-rounder was his county's outstanding performer yet again. His 105 in the first-class draw with Essex was followed by 3-22 and a 39-ball blitz to smash Kent back in the game with Glamorgan and snatch a tie. Another top-notch piece of multi-tasking was delivered by Derbyshire's David Wainwright. Best known as a slow left-arm spinner, his batting has improved in recent years. Both skills were to the fore as his 109 and second-innings 5-54 were instrumental in beating Division Two wooden spoon rivals Leicestershire.

The latter's only bright spot was wicket-keeper Niall O'Brien's scores of 89 and 71. The Irishman's batting just edges out Tim Ambrose and Worcestershire's Ben Cox, despite the latter's long-awaited debut hundred. Cox's colleague Saeed Ajmal produced another spin masterclass - a 7-63 against Hampshire while the final seamer spot was a race between David Masters (for his economy in rare T20 outings), Steve Magoffin for his 6-60 at Taunton and Alfonso Thomas (5-40) in the same contest. However, not even the Sussex match could achieve the rare feat of capturing four wickets in four balls, as the Fons did in Somerset's victory.

In short:- Burns (Sur), Carberry (Ham), Bopara (Ess), Joyce (Sus), Roy (Sur), Ryder (Ess), Stevens (Kent), O'Brien (Lei, +), Thomas (Som), Wainwright (Der), Saeed Ajmal (Wor)