Ben Stokes creates Ashes history

Well, who needs Twenty20? England and Australia dished up one of the greatest sporting dramas since, oh, last month’s World Cup Final, demonstrating yet again why Test cricket must be savoured and protested for future generations of fans.

As a turnabout in fortunes it didn’t quite match the Headingley Test of 1981 – Botham, Willis and all that – but for overcoming home supporters’ low expectations in adversity, Headingley 2019 was just as remarkable. 38 years ago, it was a revitalised Ian Botham who, after a terrible start to his Ashes summer, rediscovered his mojo to drag England back from the brink. This time it’s Ben Stokes, although his rehabilitation from drunken thug to cricketing hero began in spectacular style at Lord’s when his innings and Super Over striking did so much to end the nation’s long wait for World Cup success.

I’m no fan of Stokes the person but there’s no denying his bravura talent on the biggest stages, at least with a bat in his hand. And yet, that unbeaten 135 notwithstanding, the Durham all-rounder was not the only man responsible for England’s victory. In the post-match euphoria amid the Stokes-centric headlines, it is easy to forget Jofra Archer’s first innings 6-45 and Saturday afternoon’s heroic resistance of the two Joes, Root and Denly.

On Friday, England were swatted away inside 28 overs for a paltry 67. Hazlewood and Cummins had bowled intelligently but the home team seemed to be batting in T20 self-destruct mode, nicking everything to Warner or Paine behind the stumps. They’d come close to winning the previous week at a rain-affected Lord’s but this dismal performance brought back the usual comments about the lost art of grinding out a score, knowing when to leave alone, when to defend and when to launch an offensive. 

Australia weren’t a whole heap better. Steve Smith’s injury replacement, Marnus Labuschagne, was the only one in a green helmet looking comfortable against the opposition attack. But when he and Lyon were last men out, England’s target of 359 looked challenging enough.

Normally such a fourth innings total would be beyond any side, but England had two and a half days in which to make them. Easy, huh? The portents were not good, especially when Roy and Burns succumbed meekly to the new ball. Root and Denly sensibly saw the side to stumps on Saturday evening but there was still plenty to do. A draw was out of the question; this was all about eight more wickets versus an additional 203 runs.

At 245-4, England looked to be cruising in the Bank Holiday heat but five wickets for 41 run left Australia in the driving seat. Ben Stokes and Jack Leach were on the rack. The Somerset spinner is no mug with the bat, as his 92 against Ireland demonstrated, but Stokes knew he’d have to play to his strength, and that’s to whack the ball as hard as he could. With 73 still required, he had nothing to lose.

Up to that point, he’d played with impressive restraint. Now was the time to display the Stokes of old. The sixes flew, but it was every dot ball faced by Leach which received cheers just as hearty from the Leeds crowd. Stokes was obviously pumped up, unable to even watch as his partner faced the fifth or sixth deliveries of overs by Cummins or Lyon. There was no intention of running quick singles; he merely squatted on his haunches, bat in both hands like a war-weary medieval knight clutching his sword, eyes focussed on his boots.

When on strike, my, how Stokes rode his luck. Aiming for the stands, three times he narrowly avoided outstretched hands, with a few very difficult diving catches spilled. The desperate LBW review for a ball clearly pitching and striking  outside leg stump cost the Aussies the match when a few overs later the umpire failed to spot a blatant leg-before; the ball would have hit middle. Justin Langer’s expression told the story. My thoughts strayed to Edgbaston, 2005 when the Aussies, featuring Langer, had been in a similar position yet were robbed just three runs from victory. With it, went that amazing series.

Nevertheless, in August 2019, all Stokes’ heroic hitting looked in vain when, with 2 needed, Stokes reverse swept to backward point then turned his back on Leach. His windmilling arms indicated that his partner had to run back to the crease. It wasn’t the greatest throw but all Nathan Lyon needed to do was catch the ball and calmly whip off the bails. With Leach stranded metres from safety, the bowler had plenty of time. He fumbled it, the chance had gone and with it the match and, in all likelihood, the Ashes.

The coup-de-grace followed shortly and one of the greatest of all Ashes Test matches was over. Just a few days after registering their lowest home Ashes total, England had achieved their highest ever fourth innings run chase. The series score reads 1-1 but I have no doubt that England will now proceed to build on their amazing good fortune and Stokes’ inspirational innings and regain the Ashes which, as the ball was lobbed to Lyon, looked certain to be Australia’s. I don’t think even the return of Steve Smith will prevent England’s sensational summer script becoming fact.

Harmer hammers hopeless Hampshire

At last an excuse to indulge in an orgy of alliteration! While Somerset sat out the ninth round of Championship fixtures, nearest challengers Hampshire took a brutal beating on their travels to Chelmsford. Essex advanced to within seven points of Hampshire with an innings victory, for which they can thank spinner Simon Harmer. His match stats of 12 wickets for 60 tell the story and he now has more wickets than anyone else in the division.

Tunbridge Wells was the scene of Nottinghamshire’s fourth defeat of the season, going down by 285 runs to Kent. Zak Crawley and Joe Denly struck centuries while most of the bowlers contributed with wickets. Warwickshire also eased their relegation worries with a three-wicket triumph at York. Tom Kohler-Cadmore awaits punishment from the ECB for his part in the odious sex competition and he fell for a second-ball duck as his Yorkshire team-mates struggled against the seam of Oliver Hannon-Dalby and Craig Miles. Dominic Sibley added two further fifties to his season’s tally but the finish was tighter than Yorkshire could have imagined on the final morning.

In the next fortnight, Somerset face both their nearest rivals, which could go a long way in deciding the fate of the 2019 title.

In the Division Two promotion chase, Lancashire opened up a twenty-point margin with an impressive victory at Derby. England pacemen Jimmy Anderson and Graeme Onions dominated proceedings with seventeen cheap wickets between them against a side for whom Luis Reece opened both batting and bowling. Keaton Jennings needed only one ball to achieve a ten-wicket win.

Glamorgan and Sussex share second place after their respective draws. After an impressive sequence of scores for Ireland and the Seconds, Paul Stirling returned to the Middlesex First XI and duly racked up a ton, as did colleague Sam Robson. Glamorgan had little opportunity to shine but Marnus Labuschagne did his Ashes hopes no harm with another half-century and five wickets. At Kidderminster, Sussex and Worcestershire were evenly matched and no result was possible. For the visitors Chris Jordan enjoyed a reasonable all-round performance, Ben Brown added 144 more runs to his summer’s terrific total, Laurie Evans delivered a measured 113 and debutant bowler Aaron Thomason too no wickets but whacked a useful 90.

In the remaining fixture, just twenty wickets fell across four days at Leicester. The home side’s opener Hassan Azad compiled two hundreds, and shared a first innings stand of 320 with Neil Dexter on the way to 487 all out. Gloucestershire trumped that with 571, the bulk of it from the blades of Chris Dent and the in-form Ryan Higgins. Horton and Azad again accumulated 211 for the first wicket, fashioning a remarkably symmetrical partnership in which each reached three figures before declaring and agreeing the draw.

Both Sussex and Glamorgan have the opportunity this week to displace the Red Roses at the top, but only by defeating Durham and Gloucestershire, respectively.

Team of the Week: Hassan Azad (Lei), Crawley (Ken), Denly (Ken), Dexter (Lei), Labuschagne (Gla), Higgins (Glo), Cullen (Gla), Harmer (Ess), Onions (Lan), Hannon-Dalby (War), Anderson (Lan)

County Cricket Team of 2018

2018 will long be remembered for its long, hot, dry summer across much of Britain. I suspect this may have been a factor in the dramatic reduction in the number of drawn matches in the Championship from 45 to 25. Perhaps pitch preparation also came into the equation as first inning batting bonus points were as rare as a downpour in July. Across both divisions, there was little to choose between all counties with regard to bowling points but Surrey and Warwickshire really made their batting strength count in their respective campaigns.

There were stark contrasts between white and red ball formats. For all Surrey’s dominance in the four-day game, they were mediocre in limited-overs cricket. Worcestershire wasted little time in being relegated back to Division Two but were able to celebrate success in the T20 Blast that same week. Their 20 year-old medium-pacer Pat Brown proved to be a revelation in the 20-over stuff but barely featured in the Championship. Meanwhile, Glamorgan endued a year to forget but  Somerset confounded my worst fears with another runners-up finish and surge to the Blast semi-finals. So near, yet so far, yet again. Will Marcus Trescothick finally give up on waiting and give his creaking body a well-earned retirement? 

Sadly he didn’t feature in any of my County Teams of the Week but who were the men (or women) who contributed most to domestic cricket across all three formats?

Openers:

Last year it was Mark Stoneman but in 2018 his Surrey colleague and captain Rory Burns dominated the Championship run table, accumulating 1,359 at 64.71. Lancashire’s Alex Davies was promoted to specialist opener with considerable success, especially in T20, Daryl Mitchell was predictably consistent in four-dayers but I’ve gone for Kent’s Joe Denly. The only survivor from my 2017 XI, he usually batted at three in the Championship but was probably the best all-rounder in domestic cricket, adding 57 wickets to a notable haul of 1,729 runs. Could he get back in England’s ODI set-up after a nine-year absence?

Middle-order:

Champions Surrey didn’t miss the retired Sangakkara and there were no truly dominant middle-order strokemakers this summer. Ollie Pope and Ben Foakes were prolific early on, before the former was granted a Test debut against India in July. At 36, Ian Bell who truly rolled back the years for Warwickshire. Several years ago he was criticised by England for slow scoring but now he is reborn as a heavy-scoring T20 Blaster. Only two men surpassed his 580 runs, at a decent rate of 139, to accompany his 1,027 in the Championship. James Vince may not have nailed down an England spot but he can still do the business for Hampshire, as does James Hildreth for Somerset. His hopes of international recognition are long gone but Hildy was brilliant for us in all competitions this year. Indeed, he was the all-round top scorer in domestic cricket. 

With Denly available as a spinner, I am also including his Kent team-mate Heino Kuhn. I confess I’d never previously heard of him but the 34 year-old South African racked up the hundreds in the Royal London One-Day Cup and took the gloves when Sam Billings was absent.

All-Rounder:

As ever, Darren Stevens is in contention but he was never going to replicate his 2017 achievements. Ed Barnard enjoyed another fine season despite Worcestershire’s relegation and Somerset’s Lewis Gregory had probably his best year yet, assuming the onerous roles of opening bowler and late-order six-hitter. Messrs Raine, Higgins and Harris had their moments but my primary all-rounder slot goes to another veteran Surrey man, Rikki Clarke. Aged 36, he snaffled 47 Championship wickets at 21.53 and scored 500 valuable runs. Never write him off!

Wicket-keeper:

Ben Cox’s batting has come on leaps and bounds for Worcestershire, Tom Moores looked a reasonable replacement for the retired Chris Read at Notts and Ben Foakes made excellent contributions to Surrey’s title chase. I’ve already mentioned Alex Davies but for most matches he ceded the Lancashire gloves to South African import Dane Vilas. He proceeded to take more Championship dismissals than anyone else and struck Division One’s highest individual score, 235 not out.

Bowlers:-

The evergreen Jimmy Anderson may have continued breaking records for England but the county game was the stage for some lesser-known bowlers. Essex duo James Porter and Simon Harmer were again quite prolific in first-class cricket; ditto for Tom Bailey and Graham Onions of Lancashire. Tim Murtagh seamed away in his usual mean style for Middlesex and Ollie Robinson’s 74 wickets took Sussex very close to Division Two promotion. However, Kent beat their neighbours to it, thanks in no small way to their New Zealand paceman Matt Henry. He was superb in the first half of the season and came back to give the county vital impetus. Another import, Morne Morkel was also superb, grabbing 59 wickets at 14.32 in only ten Division One fixtures. Finally, another thirty-something, Chris Rushworth was a rare jewel in a drab Durham season, accumulating 80 wickets across all three formats.

In summary, based on stats and my Teams of the Week, my County Team of 2018 is:-

Burns (Sur *), Denly (Ken), Bell (War), Vince (Ham), Hildreth (Som), Kuhn (Ken), Vilas (Lan +), Clarke (Sur), Henry (Ken), Morkel (Sur), Rushworth (Dur); 12^th Man: A Davies (Lan)

Surrey make it Eight wins from Ten

Gutted! Somerset deliver yet another brilliant victory, only for Surrey – yet again – to do the same. It’s turning out to be a right battle royal for the Championship but it’s definitely Surrey’s to lose. At least I’m confident Somerset won’t be in a relegation battle this year.

At the Oval, Nottinghamshire asked the home side to bat and allowed Mark Stoneman to reach three figures for the first time this season. After being bowled out for 375 on day two, they proceeded to dismiss Notts twice in under 92 overs. With brother Sam on England duty, Tom Curran took 5-32 in the first innings, while 20 year-old Conor McKerr weighed in with match figures of 7-47.

A day later Somerset completed a 224-run victory over Yorkshire, Jamie Overton wrapped up four of the last five wickets on the final afternoon after a fine 132 by Tom Abell and a second rapid half-century by Lewis Gregory set up the declaration. The in-form Gregory also took six wickets while leading the seam attack.

Champions Essex advanced to third after hammering Hampshire by an innings at Chelmsford. David Lawrence top-scored with 124 but Tom Alsop’s second innings 51 was the highest a Hants player could manage. Peter Siddle was the pick of the Essex bowlers, ending the match with 7-70. At Southport, Lancashire came from behind to beat bottom-club Worcestershire by four wickets. Dane Vilas and Bolton lad Josh Bohannon shared a stand of 139 to push Lancs over the line.

This week Surrey face a trip up the A12 to Essex while Somerset host Lancashire at Taunton. If Surrey win their next two games they can probably afford to lose to their rivals and still take the title.

In Division Two, Sussex lost ground in the promotion chase after losing a close encounter with Middlesex. Runs were in short supply at Lord’s, so Jofra Archer, Chris Jordan and Ollie Robinson helped themselves to eighteen wickets between them. Warwickshire remain top after Glamorgan crumbled to another innings defeat. At least they passed 200 twice, but Ian Bell also did so all on his own. The ex-England star is enjoying a renaissance this summer. and his 2014 was his 56^th first-class century of a 20-year career. Jeetan Patel’s spin did most of the damage with the ball, taking ten wickets.

Kent leapfrogged Sussex into second following a six-wicket triumph at Derby. Crawley and Denly put on 170 for the second wicket, then Grant Stewart and Matt Henry beefed up the tail to record a total of 561. Spin twins Adam Riley and an unwell Joe Denly restricted Derbyshire to 270 second time around and the match was as good as won.

At the other end of the table, Gloucestershire easily outscored Leicestershire at Bristol. Skipper Chris Dent’s second innings 214 not out was the critical difference between the teams. Northamptonshire had already despatched Durham inside two days, registering only their third win of the Championship. The ever-reliable Ben Sanderson took 4-34 to leave his batsmen a simple target of 65.

The top three counties each now play at home, Kent’s tie against Northants looking the easiest on paper, although the Sussex seamers must fancy the opportunity to get stuck into the Leicester batsmen.

Team of the Week: 

Stoneman (Sur), Dent (Glo), Denly (Ken), Bell (War), Abell (Som), Vilas (Lan +), Gregory (Som), Patel (War), Siddle (Ess), Sanderson (Nor), McKerr (Sur)

Hampshire have a trophy but Denly has a Blast

While England and Wales continue to bathe in baking sunshine, the county treasurers will delight in higher attendances in the first week of 2018’s Vitality T20 Blast. Last weekend’s Royal London Cup final seems like a different age. It was for Riley Rossouw, whose hundred for Hampshire set them up for an easy victory for Kent at Lord’s only to be lbw first ball at home to Glamorgan in the short stuff.

In the 50-over final, Kent’s Joe Denly made few runs but took four wickets. His all-round contribution in a narrow victory over Surrey was more impressive: a rapid 102 and 3-31. Surrey were also outdone by an all-rounder earlier in the week. They lost the London derby thanks largely to Paul Stirling’s 36-ball 66 and three wickets.

Across both North and South divisions, Worcestershire are so far the only county to win two matches, although no individual shone especially. It was a team effort. Lancashire’s nine-wicket demolition of Derbyshire was the most convincing performance of the week, thanks largely to Liam Livingstone’s century. When it comes to big hitting, none could surpass the innings of Nottinghamshire’s Daniel Christian; his unbeaten 113 in the win over Northants included nine sixes!

However, for consistency, credit goes to Sam Hain, who contributed a couple of 50s for Warwickshire, and Ben Duckett. The Northamptonshire opener just missed out on three figures – not once but twice.

Sussex look a useful T20 outfit, bolstered by Jofra Archer and Rashid Khan. However, it was David Wiese who achieved the only five-for of the week, although Imran Tahir’s 4-14 for Durham deserves a mention.

It’s early days in the competition but so long as this weather continues, the fans turn up and the players deliver, it could be a bumper summer for the Blast.

Team of the Week:

Duckett (Nor), Denly (Ken), Livingstone (Lan), Hain (War), Christian (Not), Burgess (Sus +), Clarke (Sur), Wiese (Sus), Archer (Sus), Imran Tahir (Not), Brooks (Yor)

Patel propels Surrey to take their turn at the top

The County Championship leadership seems to be a revolving door this summer. Somerset took over from Nottinghamshire last week but it didn’t last long; they were demolished by an innings at Guildford and Surrey now sit at the summit 13 points clear.

Somerset elected to bowl first and the home side duly made hay. With Ben Foakes away with the Lions, Ollie Pope took the gloves and scored another century. His career is still in its youth but a first-class average above 60 is nevertheless a stat to admire. The total of 459 was large but in theory not unattainable. The practice was different. At 169-4, Somerset were nibbling away despite Rikki Clarke dismissing the top order. Enter Ryan Patel. Half an hour later, Somerset were back in the pavilion and the local lad boasted extraordinary figures of 3.5-2-5-6. He took no wickets in the second innings but the fast men Morkel and Dernbach each claimed four as all but James Hildreth surrendered meekly.

Nottinghamshire rose to second after thumping Essex by 301 runs at Chelmsford. Ross Taylor’s 146 dominated the first day then bowlers Luke Fletcher and Matt Carter put their county even more firmly in control. Notts didn’t enforce the follow-on and set a target which proved way beyond the champions’ capabilities.

At the other end of the table, Worcestershire broke their 2018 duck by outscoring Lancashire. At New Road, after fifteen wickets fell on the first day, it was a story of two openers. Keaton Jennings scored 55 and 177 but he was eclipsed by Daryl Mitchell who delivered a century in each innings. With the ball, Ed Barnard followed his first innings 5-34 with four more wickets as Lancashire chased an improbable 602 to win.

The day-night at the Rose Bowl was not the spectacle it was supposed to be. The batting track gave neither attack any assistance and a draw was the inevitable outcome. Only Dale Steyn raised the flag for the Hampshire bowlers with a first innings five-for but Yorkshire’s Gary Ballance and the home team’s Jimmy Adams each made three figures.

The big promotion clash in Division Two at Tunbridge Wells was very much a game of two halves. Twenty wickets tumbled on day one. Then Kent, led by Joe Denly and Sean Dickson, racked up more than 400, setting Warwickshire a target of 519 which would have been a championship record. With Sibley and Bell apparently cruising at 304-1 on the final morning, that record looked vulnerable. However, once they and Jonathan Trott were dismissed, Warwickshire’s chances ebbed away.  Denly himself mopped up the tail and Kent advanced to within eight points of their table-topping opponents.

Sussex used their annual visit to bucolic Arundel to gain ground, too, defeating Durham with consummate ease. Philip Salt and Tom Haines each achieved their maiden centuries while David Wiese and Danny Briggs starred with the ball.

At Northampton, the home side emulated Worcestershire by snapping up their first Div 2 success of the summer. Ben Sanderson’s first innings 5-16 and Brett Hutton’s 8-57 tell the tale of Gloucestershire’s batting woes. Ben Duckett raced to 32 off 15 balls to clinch a ten-wicket victory on the final morning. Their next opponents Glamorgan are also struggling but came within two wickets of beating Derbyshire. Tailenders Palladino and Olivier had to dig in for the last fifteen overs to survive. Glamorgan’s chances were enhanced by a 289-run partnership involving Usman Khawaja and young Kiran Carlsen but unfortunately for them, the excellent Michael Hogan and debutant Prem Sisodiya were frustrated at the end.

It was an even more exciting finish at Leicester. Colin Ackermann’s mighty 196 not out and a solid team bowling performance put Leicestershire in the driving seat. However, Tim Murtagh and James Harris shared six wickets to restrict the home side to 186 all out. Chasing 381 to win, Middlesex looked set to lose on 197-6. However, Hilton Cartwright’s 80 anchored the tail, and right at the death Harris (58 not out) struck the winning boundary with just one wicket remaining.

Should Middlesex defeat Kent at Beckenham this week, they’ll be right back in the race to return to the top tier, but Warwickshire will be optimistic about beating Durham to hold on to the top spot. In Division One, Somerset visit Essex minus their high-scoring Aussie Matt Renshaw whose broken finger has ended his stint down at Taunton. We’re not having much luck with our overseas signings. Surrey travel to sunny Scarborough and Nottinghamshire host Worcestershire who must hope to channel their confidence to secure a second consecutive win. Can’t see it happening, though. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s Notts who emerge from the revolving door and slip into T20 mode in front.

Team of the Week:

Mitchell (Wor), Jennings (Lan), Denly (Ken), Bell (War), Ackermann (Lei), Pope (Sur +), Clarke (Sur), Barker (War), Patel (Sur), Hutton (Nor), Murtagh (Mid)

Renshaw runs lift Somerset to the top

Excuse me while I attempt to bring my feet fluttering back to earth but it has been a giddy day or two on the cricketing fields of England and Scotland. First there were the pictures of stony-faced Root, Hales, Ali, Rashid et al having been dealt a maiden ODI defeat by the likes of Kyle Coetzer, Calum MacLeod, Mark Watt and George Munsey in front of 6,000 disbelieving fans in Edinburgh. England may well go on to defeat Australia but the Scots can always boast of beating the world’s number one 50-over cricket nation. Next was the sight of Sarah Taylor adding another century to her effortless wicketkeeping for England against South Africa. Now the best of all: Somerset going top of the County Championship!

We’ve done it before, of course. Somerset’s problem for 120 years is never being in that position at the end of the season. With injuries and England call-ups, we ought to be at the opposite end of the table but I shall enjoy the moment while I can. Having forced the previous leading side Nottinghamshire to follow on, Tom Abell’s side must have contemplated wrapping things up inside three days. However, the Notts batting was far more resilient second time around and, with Tom Moores completing his first Championship century, they ended up setting Somerset a tricky 248 to win on the final day. I needn’t have worried. Matt Renshaw took his match aggregate to 167 and Stephen Davies and Abell compiled one of their useful fifth-wicket stands to clinch victory.

They lead the table by a single point from Surrey, who pounded Hampshire by an innings at Southampton. Rory Burns top-scored with 151 before his attack bowled the home side out twice. Rikki Clarke claimed a five-for while Morne Morkel’s debut featured two typically miserly blasts with the ball. It doesn’t get easier for Somerset because they now face a trip to The Oval and a potential dive down the table should Essex beat Notts.

The champions advanced to third having dealt Lancashire a five-wicket defeat at Old Trafford. Last year’s stars Jamie Porter and Simon Harmer were again in fine fettle, garnering seven wickets apiece. Essex may be missing captain Ryan Ten Doeschate next week after he was punished for another disciplinary indiscretion with a one-match ban.

In Division Two, Ian Bell became the first Warwickshire player to score two hundreds in a match since – er – he last did it in 2004. Strange to think he hadn’t reached three figures in red-ball cricket for two years then does it twice in a few days. Helped by Jonathan Trott and solid bowling support, Warwickshire outclassed Glamorgan to more twenty-four points clear. Kent remain second but, having amassed almost 600 in the first innings and Matt Henry proceeding to take 6-58, they must be disappointed not to have taken maximum points at Bristol. Instead, Gloucestershire fought back with Dent and van Buuren and secured a draw.

Leicestershire must be feeling dizzy in third place but they were worthy winners over Northamptonshire who can’t seem to score runs. Zak Chappell’s first-innings 6-44 and an excellent performance from medium-pacer Ben Raine, eclipsing his opening partner Mohammed Abbas, helped set up a six-wicket success. 

At Chester-le-Street, Durham contrived to beat Derbyshire despite being skittled for 96 on the opening morning, when Duanne Olivier nabbed 5-20. The inexperienced Gareth Harte’s 114 started to reverse fortunes while the very experienced Chris Rushworth completed the comeback with 5-46. 

As in Division One, next week sees first playing second so, if Warwickshire defeat Kent, Durham could enter the promotion zone should they overcome Sussex at Arundel. With no money and their best batsmen pilfered by the big boys, Durham will be relieved and proud of such an improvement. Northants will host Gloucestershire and harbour hopes of securing a first Championship triumph of 2018.

Team of the Week: 

Renshaw (Som), Burns (Sur), Bell (War), Denly (Ken), Khawaja (Gla), Davies (Som +), van Buuren (Glo), Raine (Lei), Harmer (Ess), Olivier (Der), Rushworth (Dur)

Worcestershire achieve record-breaking one-day chase

It was a week of ‘No Results’ and big hundreds amidst heatwaves and thunderstorms. In the South division, Hampshire suffered a couple of defeats but still lead the rest by a point. It could have been three had Joe Weatherly added a couple more runs to his century at Southampton against Kent, who now sit in second place. It was a great week for their all-rounder Joe Denly. Against Glamorgan he combined an unbeaten 150 with a useful 4-56, and finished the week more than 200 runs richer.

However, when it comes to hefty scoring, nobody could hold a candle to Essex opener Varun Chopra. He aggregated 319 from three innings, more than half of them taken from the Somerset attack, including six sixes and nine fours. Paul Stirling also reached three figures for Middlesex, but Glamorgan remain pointless.

Up north, Worcestershire are in pole position after two memorable run chases at New Road. Last weekend, a steady Daryl Mitchell hundred steered them to victory over Lancashire from the penultimate ball but the best of all was saved for two days later. Leicestershire set off at a gallop, four players reaching 70 en route to a county List A record against first-class opposition, 376-4. When Moeen Ali fell in he second over, Worcestershire could have buckled, but they didn’t. Callum Ferguson, drafted in at  the last minute for the departing Aussie Travis Head, saw the opportunity to make an immediate impact. He put on 140 with Joe Clarke, then 88 in ten overs alongside Mitchell and 137 in alliance with Brett D’Oliveira.  The job was almost done when he was finally caught behind for 192, a county List A record. When D’Oliveira and Whitely struck ten more in four balls, they had achieved Worcester’s best ever score, and here were still sixteen balls remaining.

Yorkshire’s top order continued to rack up the runs, too. Tom Kohler-Cadmore made another two half-centuries but Adam Lyth’s 132 not out was the match-winner against Leicestershire. It was a tougher task against Derbyshire in a match restricted by rain to 24 overs a side. Ravi Rampaul had claimed five wickets and the White Roses needed 24 off ten balls. Thanks to a late blitz from young bowler Matt Fisher, they succeeded.

Leicestershire prop up the table despite having four matches in which to grab points. I feel sorry for Mark Cosgrove who made scores of 70, 84, 13 and 52 to no avail. Next week could see a few counties making decisive breaks while Lord’s and Old Trafford will hope for clear weather and bumper crowds expected for the London and Roses derbies.

Team of the Week:

Chopra (Ess), Stirling (Mid), Lyth (Yor), Ferguson (Wor), Cosgrove (Lei), Denly (Ken), Simpson (Mid +), Rampaul (Der), Carter (Not), Porter (Ess), Parkinson (Lan)

County Cricket Team of 2017

The County Championship structure was adjusted this year to reduce the fixtures played by the top tier, and presumably the strain placed upon those men likely to be playing for England. However, with the international summer dragging on until the end of September, it was even harder for counties to play their stars for more than a few games all season anyway.

From my team of 2016, Keaton Jennings and Ben Duckett were tried and discarded, while Tom Westley just about did enough against the West Indies to justify selection for the Ashes tour. As for the 2017 county competitions, newly-promoted Essex became champions by a country mile while their predecessors Middlesex were relegated alongside a woeful Warwickshire outfit. Worcestershire replaced them, as did Nottinghamshire, who also grabbed both limited-overs trophies in Chris Read’s final season. With only eight teams in Division One, by mid-September most of them were still at risk of relegation. Not sure if that’s a healthy thing but it certainly concentrated the mind, especially at Somerset’s final match at home to Middlesex.

Anyway, who were the men who contributed most to domestic cricket across all three formats?

Openers:

In terms of first-class cricket, there were few consistent run-scorers.at the very top of the order. Alastair Cook helped Essex to a fine start to the summer, averaging 67 in all and, perhaps improbably, was the most prolific player in the Royal London Cup. However, my top two pretty much pick themselves. Alongside Rory Burns, Mark Stoneman made 1,156 Championship runs at 60.84 and 456 in the 50-over tournament for Surrey, and Daryl Mitchell’s seven centuries for Division Two champions Worcestershire were critical.

Middle-order:

Let’s deal first with the no-brainer. Kumar Sangakkara was utterly magnificent. In only 16 innings he reached three figures eight times, five of them consecutive. He stroked runs in either innings and, with the openers, ensured Surrey attained more batting bonus points than anybody else by a mile. If only their bowlers had been any good, they may have given Essex a run for their money. In all competitions the retiring Sri Lankan legend scored 2,156 for his county. Fabulous! Kent’s Joe Denly was the second highest scorer overall. With Sam Northeast, he often held their batting together in Division Two and tonked almost 600 runs in the T20 Blast.

When considering Nottinghamshire batsmen, many don’t get further than Alex Hales. However, the duo of Samit Patel and Riki Wessels were far more influential with the bat, Wessels particularly effective in the T20, often doubling as wicketkeeper. Patel crunched two double-centuries and his spin was typically miserly in the short stuff, too. I should also mention Mark Cosgrove’s consistency amidst the misery that was Leicestershire’s batting line-up. Nevertheless, my number five slot goes to South African Colin Ingram. He scored over a thousand limited overs runs in all, helping Glamorgan to a rare Finals Day appearance with bat and ball.

All-Rounder:

As ever, top-class batsmen-bowlers were thin on the ground. While Ben Stokes was doing his thing for England and outside Bristol clubs, Peter Trego unusually quiet in Taunton, Samit Patel focussing on his batting and Chris Woakes out of county action, the stage was set for a couple of doughty county old-stagers. Steven Mullaney is often written off as a dibbly-dobbler medium-pacer who can bat a bit. However, I bet most counties would love to have a Mullaney in their squad: he has the sound technique to open in the four-dayers, provide valuable late-order swishes in the 50-overs and keep the runs down in Twenty20. Yet he is eclipsed by my old favourite, Darren Stevens. It speak volumes for Kent’s thin attack that a 41 year-old opens their bowling but he finished the season on a record 60 Championship wickets at barely 18 apiece, while notching 707 runs at over 41, and that ignores almost 400 in the one-dayers. His age suggests retirement can’t be far away but at the moment he s simply irreplaceable for Kent.

Wicket-keeper:

Much attention was paid to the progress of Lancashire’s Alex Davies, promoted to open in the Championship. He made a good start, too, while their other young opener Habeeb struggled. At 31, his namesake Steven Davies took time to find his feet at Somerset but then so did the rest of the side. It was his runs and stumpings which did so much to rescue the county from relegation and he seemed to perform best against his old Surrey team mates. Ha-ha, Mr Batty! Surrey’s Ben Foakes also improved his batting but Ollie Pope tended to man the stumps in the Blast. I ought to mention James Foster’s fine second half of the season for Essex but my selection goes, narrowly to Middlesex’s John Simpson. Too often his runs at six or seven held them together and nobody claimed more dismissals on the county circuit.

Bowlers:-

While the likes of Anderson, Broad, Ball and Finn were restricted in their conty appearances, it was left to 24 year-old Essex seamer Jamie Porter to reprise last year’s Division Two success at the higher level. His return of 75 wickets at only 16.82 was phenomenal and makes him the obvious choice, besides Sangakkara, for my Eleven. Worcestershire skipper Joe Leach was also rock steady with the new ball, Ben Coad was a real find for Yorkshire, Liam Norwell did great work for Gloucestershire and, unlike Surrey’s Curran brothers, Craig Overton seemed to progress for Somerset on unhelpful pitches. But my other two seam spots are reserved for Kyle Abbott and Jofra Archer. The 30 year-old South African nicked 60 cheap first-class wickets for Hampshire as well as adding useful runs at eight or nine. At 22, Archer blew out of nowhere for Sussex with his fast bowling. The Bajan’s batting was also strong enough for him to end the Championship summer averaging a very healthy 45.56. Definitely one to watch at home and overseas.

In terms of spin, Jack Leach enjoyed a fruitful September for Somerset, but the normally reliable Jeetan Patel’s season went like much of Warwickshire’s cricket, downhill fast. It is therefore a simple decision to pick Simon Harmer in my XI. I admit my ignorance of the Pretorian before 2017 but his aggressive offbreaks despatched 90 batsmen in all competitions and did so much to carry Essex to the title. What a shrewd Kolpak signing he turned out to be.

In summary, based on stats and my Teams of the Week, my County Team of 2017 is:-

Stoneman (Sur), Mitchell (Wor), Denly (Ken), Sangakkara (Sur), Ingram (Gla), Stevens (Ken), Simpson (Mid), Abbott (Ham), Archer (Sus), Harmer (Ess), Porter (Ess)

12^th Man: S Patel (Not)

Lyth Smashes T20 Record

The Nat West T20 Blast’s group stage ended in dramatic style this week. On Thursday, Northamptonshire’s reign as champions effectively ended as Yorkshire mercilessly destroyed them at Headingley. Azeem Rafiq claimed 5-19 to dismiss the Steelbacks for 136 with a quarter of their overs remaining. But the true damage had already been done. Opener Adam Lyth, not renowned for his white ball striking, achieved the highest ever score in English T20, plundering 161 in 73 balls. Only two men have ever beaten that including Chris Gayle. Lyth easily outscored the opponents on his own. I feel sorry for the Northants seamers Sanderson and Gleeson, whose decent seasons came to a sorry finale conceding a whopping 138 runs between them.

And yet, despite the boost to their runs rate, Yorkshire still failed to qualify for the quarter-finals. Nottinghamshire finished top of the North division despite losing to Leicestershire by two runs at Trent Bridge on the final day. That result, together with Birmingham’s similarly narrow win over Lancashire, ensured that Lyth’s mammoth innings would be his last in the 2017 competition.

Derbyshire also lost to Leicestershire but their last-week triumphs against the bottom two took them to second in the final table. Wayne Madsen’s consistent Powerplay bowling and a 4-17 from Imran Tahir proved decisive. Can they and Leicester make up for a dour, depressing Championship season by making Finals Day?

The South group qualification went down to the wire on Friday evening. Glamorgan were already assured of proceeding and would still have clinched a home quarter-final even if they hadn’t beaten Middlesex in the rain-shortened fixture. The winner of the Surrey-Kent encounter at Canterbury was assured of going through, and it was the Londoners wot won it thanks to Jason Roy’s 78 and Rikki Clarke’s 4-16. The previous day, Kent had set another domestic T20 record, with Denly (127) and Bell-Drummond (80) compiling a 201-run first-wicket partnership.

Hampshire were safely through but the fourth place was eventually decided by an extremely narrow net run rate margin. Both Somerset and Sussex crushed their last-night opposition, Hants and Essex, but it was the 98-run success at the Rose Bowl which handed Somerset qualification, thanks to key contributions by Trego, Myburgh, Waller, van der Merwe and the redoubtable Craig Overton.

And so to next week’s quarter-finals. Somerset’s reward is a trip to Trent Bridge where they must hope that Hales Wessels and Patel all have off days. Derbyshire host Hampshire and Surrey visit Edgbaston, while the second tier Championship counties Leicestershire and Glamorgan meet in Cardiff. The last three are impossible to call, but I reckon Notts Outlaws will definitely rob the sheriffs of Taunton of a place in the Finals.

Team of the Week: Lyth (Yor), Denly (Ken), Bell-Drummond (Ken), Cosgrove (Lei), Buttler (Lan +), Trego (Som), Clarke (Sur), S Curran (Sur), Azeem Rafiq (Yor), Imran Tahir (Der), Finn (Mid)

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)

Kent Serve up a Festival Feast

Ah, the first week of July! Not only does it bring Wimbledon tennis and my own birthday but also the arrival of that dying tradition of festival cricket when the counties decamp to the leafy backwaters.

Probably the most famous is at Scarborough, nestled behind the townhouses which overlook the beach of North Bay. Last week I wrote that this fixture against Yorkshire was Somerset’s best chance of “nicking that elusive victory”. Lo and behold, they actually did it! Poor weather meant the game only really got going on the final few days. Seamers Liam Plunkett and Craig Overton starred in the first innings before James Hildreth seized the initiative, making three figures before the declaration. Unlike other occasions this summer, this week Somerset made the advantage count as Overton again, with spinner Jack Leach ripping through the makeshift Yorkshire line-up.

Fellow relegation-zoners Warwickshire came within a whisker of opening their Championship account, too. At Edgbaston, both the home side and Middlesex made 334 in their first innings, although the Londoners relied heavily on Steve Eskinazi’s 179. The second efforts were similarly well-matched but, despite a typical doughty all-round performance from Rikki Clarke, Middlesex somehow managed to hang on to win by a single wicket.

There was no Sangakkara to boost Surrey’s middle-order at The Oval but he wasn’t missed too much. On the first few days, Hampshire racked up 648-7 declared, including centuries by Adams, Vince and Bailey. Surrey opener Rory Burns responded with a double-hundred but even this was insufficient to prevent the follow-on. He then contributed another 68 on the final afternoon to see his side through to a draw which sees them in sixth place but 30 points ahead of Somerset.

Division Two was all about the festival grounds. The Beckenham groundsman clearly hadn’t taken any chances, and it was an absolute gift to the batsmen. Kent took full advantage and the records tumbled! In a first innings total of 701 (their second best ever), Sean Dickson struck the highest score by a Kent batsman on home soil. His 318 in nearly nine hours beat anything compiled by the Woollers, Faggs, Cowdreys and Luckhursts of days gone by, and in the town of his mum’s birth. Along the way his second wicket partnership with Joe Denly was a county best for any wicket. The Northants reply included three centuries, led by 19 year-old Max Holden’s 153, and so a tame draw resulted.

By way of contrast, the Cheltenham pitch offered little help to the batters. Credit to Gloucestershire and Glamorgan for extending the match to the sixth session! Liam Norwell’s 6-38 was the best bowling performance but, in the end, Bancroft and Dent showed it was after all possible to bat, and their 137-run opening stand saw Gloucester home and dry with two days to spare.

Up at Chesterfield, Durham enjoyed a six-wicket victory over Derbyshire. Alex Hughes kept Rushworth et al at bay with a courageous 108 but Jake Burnham and Ryan Pringle led Durham to the target on day four. At picturesque Arundel, Sussex found their feet in the second innings, taking the Leicestershire attack for 443-6 before declaring. Stiaan van Zyl top-scored with 166 not out, then Jofra Archer (4-30) and colleagues finished the job.

Apart from Gloucestershire’s contest with Worcestershire, the next month is all about the Nat West T20 Blast. The opening encounters were notable for some fine performances by Adam Lyth, Jos Buttler and Shahid Afridi. It was also encouraging to note Championship strugglers Derbyshire and Warwickshire being the only teams winning two out of two. Will they still be at the top of the North group come August? I wonder.

Team of the Week: Burns (Sur), Dickson (Ken), Denly (Ken), van Zyl (Sus), Hildreth (Som), Rossington (Nor +), Clarke (War), C Overton (Som), Archer (Sus), Holland (Ham), Norwell Glo)

Harmer Hammers Warwickshire

In a week when much of England and Wales sweltered in record June temperatures, four counties rediscovered the knack of racking up a commanding score then bowling the opposition out twice. Indeed, all three Division One fixtures resulted in innings defeats.

Essex extended their lead at the top after thrashing Warwickshire at Chelmsford. The long-serving duo of Ravi Bopara and wicketkeeper James Foster each struck centuries in an innings of 542-9 declared before South African spinner Simon Harmer produced career-best match figures of 14-128 to consign their visitors to bottom place for another week.

Lancashire leapt to second with a comfortable win over former leaders Hampshire at Old Trafford. It wasn’t all plain sailing. George Bailey (127) and Kyle Abbott (97 not out) took Hants to the verge of 400 but the Red Roses response included no fewer than three centurions: Alex Davies, Ryan McLaren and Dane Vilas. The latter ended up on 244 from only 275 balls and bossed a 231-run stand with fellow countryman McLaren, who then, wth Anderson and Jarvis, ran through the Hampshire line-up inside 57 overs to clinch maximum points.

At Lord’s Middlesex claimed their first victory of the summer, handing Yorkshire a rare hiding. Sam Robson made 159 and Paul Stirling took his chance in the first XI with 111. With Ireland handed Test status for the first time, he must be a shoo-in for his country’s first-ever five-day squad, whenever that might be! Anyway, all the Middlesex bowlers chipped in, Ollie Rayner’s second-innings 4-35 being the pick of the performances.

Division Two still has a four-horse race look about it. Nottinghamshire notched up win number five, cleaning up against Leicestershire at Trent Bridge. In terms of runs, Samit Patel almost outscored the opposition on his own, striking a second double-hundred in succession. After his 247, he left muh of the bowling to the seamers, the pick of whom was neither Ball nor Broad but James Pattinson.

At New Road, Worcestershire stole a march on rivals Kent in a much closer encounter of swinging fortunes. Kent struggled early on but only Joe Clarke, with his first three-figure score of the season, made much impact for Worcestershire in reply. It was in the second half of the match when the runs began to flow. Joe Denly’s 227 helped Kent to a lead of 398 but on the final day, Daryl Mitchell and Clarke again struck tons, ably assisted by Moeen Ali’s swift 63, and Kent subsided in the sun by four wickets.

Further north, where the weather was less fierce, Durham finally entered the black with their first Championship success of 2017. They prevented Glamorgan from achieving a third consecutive victory thanks largely to Chris Rushworth’s eight wickets and a 185-run partnership on the second day between Graham Clark and the ageless Paul Collingwood.

Now for the groundbreaking set of day-night matches! Let’s hope they pull in some badly-needed crowds to enjoy proper first-class cricket. Pick of the fixtures must be Kent’s trip to Nottinghamshire and Essex’s hosting of Middlesex. I will be hoping that Somerset enjoy a rare celebration in Hampshire but I don’t hold out much hope, especially with half their team on England Lions duty!

Team of the Week: Davies (Lan +), Mitchell (Wor), Denly (Ken), Clarke (Wor), Patel (Not), Vilas (Lan), McLaren (Lan), Leach (Wor), Harmer (Ess), Pattinson (Not), Rushworth (Dur)

Warwickshire Edg It but 99 is the Magic Number

At last a few victories, although I’d give the batsmen another win on points over their adversaries, with the rain giving both a run for their money.

Warwickshire took a turn at the top of Division One, beating Nottinghamshire in a tight contest at Trent Bridge. However, at 17-4 on the first morning, that outcome looked impossible, only for Chris Woakes and Keith Barker to do their familiar rescue act. Each scored centuries in an eighth wicket stand of 167, and it was game on again. Notts led by just ten after the first innings, then Samit Patel and Luke Fletcher each claimed eight wickets to leave themselves just 227 to win with more than a day remaining. 21-3 overnight, things went from bad to worse. Recognising his rapidly declining support, Patel decided to try and steal the victory single-handed. Clubbing 12 fours and 8 sixes, he made a valiant effort before holing out to Hain 52 runs short.

As predicted, Durham did indeed get the better of Lancashire at the Riverside. Steve Borthwick starred with two hundreds, but it was the unfamiliar trio of Weighell, Carse and McCarthy who did the damage with the ball. Leaders Yorkshire had the weather to thank as they struggled to stave off an innings defeat in Somerset. James Hildreth struck a typically stylish 166, and both Trescothick and Trego fell in the nervous nineties en route to an impressive 566-7 declared. In reply, only Adam Lyth (106) passed 40, then it was batten down the hatches time until the weather finally closed in on Wednesday afternoon. Ah, we woz robbed!

The Oval was unusually wet for the London derby, which spluttered to a damp draw. Ollie Rayner’s 6-79 was the stand-out performance for Middlesex who did at least welcome back captain Adam Voges after his recent concussion.

Essex remain in pole promotion position after forcing Derbyshire to follow on at Chelmsford. They plundered more than 500 despite losing the Championship’s top scorer Tom Westley for a third-ball duck. Fortunately opener Nick Browne found his form in a big way, accumulating 255 and sharing a stand of 210 with 18 year-old Dan Lawrence, for whom I predict great things. Ravi Bopara also caught the eye with his 5-49.

Glamorgan remain bottom after suffering defeat at the hands of neighbours Gloucestershire. They did so despite enjoying a first innings lead, thanks largely to David Lloyd, agonisingly caught on 99. Second time out, needing 269 to win, it looked good for the visitors on 81-0. However, Graeme van Buuren, ripped out the first three, Craig Miles the middle-order and Jack Taylor the tail, and that was that!

Brett D’Oliveira also joined the 99 club, robbing him of a third consecutive century for Worcestershire. He had sold support down the order as his side amassed a first innings 491. Sussex were forced to follow on but were harder to dislodge on day four, and consequently saved the match.

At Northampton, returning fallen hero Monty Panesar was given 59 overs in the match and managed four wickets. Nevertheless, Kent’s Joe Denly took charge with a first innings unbeaten 205, and Daniel Bell-Drummond also maintained his early-season form as the match was curtailed by the wet stuff.

Next week, after a first blast of T20 action, it’s top v bottom in Division Two, but the weather forecast isn’t great for Cardiff. Second-placed Kent travel to Derby while Leicestershire host Worcestershire. In the top tier, this week’s two victors meet at Edgbaston while Yorkshire sit it out. Lancashire could go top by beating Surrey but Notts are also lurking and take a trip south to face Hampshire.

Team of the Week:
Browne (Ess), D’Oliveira (Wor), Denly (Ken), Borthwick (Dur), Hildreth (Som), Patel (Not), Rossington (Nor +), Miles (Glo), Barker (War), McCarthy (Dur), Fletcher (Not)