Worrall Wins it for Surrey

Plenty of positive results and a few nail-biters in the Championship this week. The leading three in Division One all won, with Surrey’s fourth on the trot keeping them comfortably at the summit. They overwhelmed Worcestershire at The Oval with a day to spare. The reliable Jordan Clark top-scored, but it was Dan Worrall’s ten-wicket haul which caught the eye. 

It was a real game of two halves at Chelmsford, where a 209-run partnership between Ed Barnard and Michael Burgess and three wickets apiece for Yates and Simmons piled pressure on Essex late on Saturday. However, their spinners Matt Critchley and Simon Harmer turned the tables, leaving the home side an awkward target of 330. At 12-2, things looked grim but Jordan Cox made 112, then Matt Critchley was left high and dry on 99 as he and Harmer sealed the deal. 

It was another topsy-turvy affair at Taunton. Tom Banton and James Rew have struggled so far this season but each reached three figures as Somerset stormed to 554 against Kent. When Overton and Pretorius led a useful attack to dismiss Kent for 178, the visitors looked as if they’d been on the end of a lethal Usyk combination. However, they seemed to have bounced up from the canvas on Sunday when Zak Crawley’s 238 helped the visitors to 388-2. Undeterred, Somerset struck back with three late wickets, and left themselves with a potentially tricky 180 to score by the end of the match. Fortunately, Matt Renshaw and Andy Umeed struck the perfect balance of watchfulness and strokeplay to secure an eight-wicket triumph and maintain Somerset’s second place. 

At Trent Bridge, Hampshire came away with their first success of the summer, defeating Nottinghamshire by five wickets. Apart from Lyndon James (106 not out), the hosts found runs hard to come by against Abbas and Abbott in particular, and it required a sixth-wicket century stand from Middleton and Fuller to drag Hampshire from 44-5 to reach the finishing line.

 Ben Stokes’ first Championship outing for two years lured the media to Blackpool and he achieved a welcome five-for but only twenty runs for Durham. Hopefully the journos present also stayed to observe not one but two players who hit tons in each innings. Keaton Jennings performed the feat for Lancashire then David Bedingham, trying to save and possibly gain an unlikely victory on day four, repeated the achievement. He and the more belligerent Ollie Robonson placed Durham just 161 short with seven standing but, when Bedingham was caught behind off Nathan Lyon, the remaining batsmen capitulated leaving Robinson unbeaten on 171, handing Lancashire their first win of 2024.

 They stay bottom, though, and need to beat winless Warwickshire to extricate themselves from the relegation places before the four-week red-ball break. Essex hop over the Tnames to Kent and Somerset head north to face Durham in bids to keep Surrey in their sights. The champions follow the M3 to meet Hampshire who look woefully short of runs. 

In the second tier, Sussex rediscovered their winning ways at Hove, but Yorkshire pushed them all the way in a low-scoring contest. Ben Coad and George Hill bowled well for the Tykes but Ollie Robinson (the other one!), Sean Hunt and, by capturing Joe Root’s crucial wicket, Tom Haines, bowled the South Coasters to victory by only 21 runs. 

Middlesex are just seven points behind after beating Glamorgan in another nervy finale at Sophia Gardens. Mark Stoneman (129) delivered a heathy first-innings lead before Marcus Labuscagne (111) and Colin Ingram (105) steered Glamorgan back inti the game. With Mason Crane spinning five men out, it looked touch and go but the ninth-wicket partnership between Davies and Helm extended to 52 to nick it by two wickets. 

At Leicester, Gloucestershire declared on a mammoth 706-6. Openers Cameron Bancroft and Ian Charlesworth put on 313 and the pace accelerated with James Bracey and skipper Graeme van Buuren. On day four, Leicestershire made runs throughout the order to dig out a draw. The outcome was the same at Derby, where Northamptonshire generally had the better of things. A rapid 153 not out by Emilio Gay propelled them to a declaration capable of giving the bowlers something to aim at in two-and-a-bit sessions. At 141-7, that looked a great decision but Zak Chappell and Anuj Dal added 108. Two snap wickets put Northants on the verge of victory only for Dal and the last man Dupavillon to survive the final two overs. 

Next week’s Division Two highlight is set to be the top two counties battling it out at Lord’s. Should be interesting… 

Team of the Week:- Crawley (Ken), Jennings (Lan), Gay (Nor), Bedingham (Dur), Banton (Som), Robinson (Ken +), Barnard (War), Critchley (Ess), Hill (Yor), Worrall (Sur), Robinson (Sus)

Leicestershire clinch the Cup, Northants lose again

The 50-over One-Day Cup Final is criminally under-reported these days, but Leicestershire and Hampshire served up a thriller worthy of a big back-page headline. Lewis Hill won the toss and elected to bat, but at 18-4 and 89-6, it looked like Leicestershire’s 38-year wait for another List A trophy would continue. However, local academy products Harry Swindells (117 not out) and Sam Evans (60) rescued the innings, setting Hants a testing target of 268. In reply, Hampshire played it steady, while Mulder, Wright and Scriven bowled tightly. When in Josh Hull’s concluding over, Liam Dawson misjudged a ramp shot to fine leg, it was down to Keith Barker to strike a boundary off the last ball to win. He failed, and Hill’s unfancied side were champions at last. 

A few days earlier, the county’s Championship line-up – without Swindells – narrowly failed to prevent Sussex from moving closer to Worcestershire in the second promotion place. All looked lost for them at Hove, too. Jaydev Unadkat and Aristides Karvelas ripped them apart in the first innings and they faced an Everest-esque target of 499 in almost two days to avoid defeat. That they came within 15 runs is a credit to the batsmen’s professionalism and skill. Not for the first time, Colin Ackermann led the way with 135 but Unadkat mopped up the tail and all that effort proved in vain. 

Also in Division Two, Gloucestershire remain winless, thwarted by the weather and Derbyshire’s spirited performance, notably Anuj Dal’s first-innings 6-69. At Cardiff, Shan Masood plundered 192 for Yorkshire and Glamorgan were forced to follow on after Ben Coad and Matthew Revis claimed eight cheap wickets. Fortunately for the home crowd, Eddie Byrom and Sam Northeast each scored centuries to see out the match. One win from thirteen surely hastened Matthew Maynard’s decision to resign as coach. 

The Division One fixtures focussed mainly on relegation issues. In the wake of lengthy rain delays, cordial declarations created a meaningful climax at Edgbaston. Olive Hannon-Dalby’s 7-46 put Warwickshire in charge against Northamptonshire, but on day four, Ben Sanderson gave his relegation-threatened side real hope, reducing the home county to 24-5. However, Michael Burgess’s unbeaten 78 saw Warwickshire home by two wickets. 

At Canterbury, Zak Crawley got Kent off to a promising start with 158 but, with Joe Clarke in rare good form for Nottinghamshire, it was Kent who ended up relieved to avoid defeat, educed to 86-6 at stumps. The Manchester weather wasn’t kind to cricket last week and Lancashire, for whom Dane Vilas struck 124, were unable to press home their first-innings advantage against Middlesex. 

This week, if Surrey beat Northants at The Oval and Hampshire restrict Essex at Chelmsford, the County Championship belongs once again to Surrey and the South Midlanders are relegated. Kent visit Somerset and Middlesex host Warwickshire hoping to maximise their points return in the battle to avoid joining them. 

Team of the Week:- Crawley (Ken), Masood (Yor), Northeast (Gla), Clarke (Not), Ackermann (Lei), Swindells (Lei), Burgess (War +), Anuj Dal (Der), Unadkat (Sus), Hogan (Ken), Hannon-Dalby (War)

Vince Convinces and Tom Price’s value soars

Hampshire cheated the rain by taking Northamptonshire to the cleaners inside three days. They thundered to the top of Division One by an innings and 270 and already look prime candidates for the Championship pennant, along with Surrey. Skipper James Vince and Nick Gubbins shared a third-wicket stand of 188, which is almost what Northants managed in total across both their innings. James Fuller took 6-37 in the first reply, then Mohammad Abbas and Kyle Abbott swept the home side away for 63 all out. 

Middlesex had to work harder to beat Nottinghamshire, scoring at more than six an over in the afternoon gloom at Lord’s to earn a 4-wicket victory. Mark Stoneman was the pick of their batsmen but Ryan Higgins produced one of those doughty all-round performances that used to be his trademark at Gloucestershire. Pity poor Ben Duckett whose 184 runs came to nought. 

At Taunton, Lancashire had the better of Somerset, despite career-best scores by Tom Abell and teenage ‘keeper James Rew, who also took six catches in Lancashire’s mammoth first innings. Keaton Jennings had looked set to make a ‘double’ but retired hurt when on 189. An unbeaten partnership of 89 between Gregory and Aldridge ensured a draw. 

Previous wet weather and a final-day washout also prevented a result at Canterbury involving Kent and Essex. For the visitors, Nick Browne and Tom Westley put on 265 for the second wicket, while Zak Crawley helped himself to 170. The top two don’t play next week, so the winner of Warwickshire v Surrey will leapfrog both. 

All three Division Two fixtures were drawn, and runs were in short supply between the showers. Indeed, only two players reached three figures. Kiran Carlson’s 119 couldn’t prevent Glamorgan following on at home to leaders Durham, but his team-mates defied the aptly-named Ben Raine et al to save the match. At Worcester, Gloucestershire’s Tom Price achieved a remarkable double on Thursday. He smashed a maiden century, then claimed a hat-trick, all three victims caught behind by James Bracey. 

In the week’s other game, Yorkshire were stranded just 63 runs short of the Sussex target thanks to the Hove rain, with Adam Lyth and Shai Hope on half-centuries. In the next round, Durham will extend their lead handsomely by beating Derbyshire but, if not, Leicestershire will pounce with success at home to Glamorgan. 

Team of the Week:-  Crawley (Ken), Jennings (Lan), Duckett (Not), Vince (Ham), Abell (Som), Rew (Som +), Higgins (Mid), T Price (Glo), Fuller (Ham), Mohammad Abbas (Ham), Ajeet Dal (Glo)

England Success: Should Tests Rebrand as Cricket 5*?

What an extraordinary game of cricket the First Test in Rawalpindi was. Since BazBall was launched earlier this year, not only have England’s first-class cricket fortunes been refreshed and revitalised but also it seems that another new format has been introduced by the back-door. 

It has been coming. Setting aside the hideous Hundred, cricket records have been tumbling as fast as global temperatures in recent years. No UN conferences will be able to turn back the clock on the man-made shift to longer hitting and swifter scoring rates. 

When England’s tourists unveiled their starting XI last week, we knew what to expect. So soon after the Twenty20 World Cup was added to the 50-over title, it was inevitable that, should players learn not to get out early to silly shots, the limited-overs ethos could also be applied to the Test arena. With six-hitting all-rounders Stokes, Jacks and Livingstone batting down to eight, this match was never going to resemble a Boycott-Amiss-Tavare defensive masterclass from the mid-1970s. 

I never thought I’d see the day when a Test side racked up more than 500 runs on the first day, with four centurions contributing to a total of 657 compiled at more than 6.5 an over. Even Zak Crawley was at it, equalling Chris Gayle’s record of 14 runs from the opening over. His century partnerships with Ben Duckett in each innings were both in the all-time top ten of fastest ever. Overall, England’s two-innings total of 921 runs in just 136.5 overs demolished the previous run-rate record set by the same side at Trent Bridge only this summer. Harry Brook may have been the star, but even Ollie Robinson struck one ball over the ropes. 

Of course, we have witnessed some superlative Test innings in recent years but they don’t all result in victories. Whatever the declaration – if made – there is often insufficient time to fashion a result. However, if you plunder 900+ runs at such extraordinary rapidity, and you have a few decent proven Test bowlers amidst the T20 specialists, then there is always a chance. Seventeen years after his last appearance on this ground, a 40-year-old James Anderson was again on hand to take 4-36 and bowl 12 maidens to hasten Pakistan’s demise on the final day. 

The home nation should take some credit for making a fist of the response and restricting the margin of defeat to two figures. With skipper Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Imam ul-Haq in the batting line-up, they were able to score 579 in their own first innings. And yet they lost the match. 

It goes without saying that the pitch was ridiculously benign, offering little to seamers or spinners alike, but nonetheless England managed to take twenty wickets and emerge victorious. Personally, I feel a bit queasy. It was hardly the Test cricket that I have loved for six decades. However, can I really complain about a game which produced so many runs whilst maintaining the excitement of a potential close finish? That is the essence of entertaining sport and if it helps to retain the Test format amongst all the other micro-formats then it has to be applauded. 

Ever since the days of Packer’s World Series Cricket, Test matches and first-class cricket generally have been on a downhill slide but, given this massive injection of pace and sustained stroke-making pyrotechnics, perhaps all it needs is a tweak in branding. Goodbye, the 5-day Test Match, hello ‘Cricket 5*’!

Kent and Yorkshire take charge

Rain affected much of the past week’s Blast fixtures and, without the safety net of a reserve day – which came to the rescue of the World Test Championship Final at Southampton – there were ten washouts. Two of Somerset ‘s three matches were abandoned but they did at least gain revenge against Surrey hanks to solid bowling and a rare half-century from James Hildreth. 

However, they remain well off the pace in the South group. Instead it was Kent who seized the initiative. Despite losing to Gloucestershire they leapfrogged Sussex and Surrey to top the table. Runs and wickets came from various sources but opener Zak Crawley and bowler Matt Milnes – whose 5-22 against Essex included 2 caught-and-bowleds – were consistently strong. 

He may not have claimed a five-for but Nottinghamshire’s Samit Patel achieved the most impressive match figures of the week. He took 3-4 as Worcestershire struggled to 86-8 in their full 20-over allocation. He also contributed a match-winning 64 not out against Derbyshire, at a strike rate of 200. Had Notts scrambled two and not a single off their last ball in their away trip to Lancashire they’d be the North group leaders. They didn’t and the resulting tie means that it’s Yorkshire who opened up a 1-point margin. 

They wrapped up two easy victories over Worcestershire and one versus Durham. Jonny Bairstow’s 51-ball 112 last Thursday was the highest score of the week but it was an incredible sixth wicket stand of 141 in 55 balls between Harry Brook and Jordan Thompson which rescued a disastrous start when Worcester’s Dillon Pennington snaffled the top four – including Joe Root - in his first couple of overs. The only other centurion was Leicestershire opener Josh Inglis, whose 103 not out dealt bottom club Northants another blow. It was the Leeds-born Aussie’s maiden T20 ton. 

Next week’s highlights include Surrey’s clashes with Middlesex and Sussex and Yorkshire’s visit to the Birmingham Bears. 

Team of the Week: Bairstow (Yor), Crawley (Ken), Inglis (Lei +), Rhodes (War), Cockbain (Glo), Patel (Not), Brook (Yor), Douthwaite (Gla), Milnes (Ken), Finn (Mid), Cook (Ess)

Gloucester in the Groove

 Back in the Blast, even with most counties facing only two further group fixtures, some of the quarter-final placings have already been confirmed. 

So far, only Gloucestershire have amassed six victories, three coming this week. Two were against closest rivals Northamptonshire and the Bears, giving them an unassailable 4-point lead at the top of Central group. Their bowlers inflicted the most damage, notably Smith and Van Buuren. Glamorgan seemed to be finding some kind of bowling form, too, led by Sisodya and Van Gugten, only to be thumped at Cardiff yesterday by the inconsistent Somerset, for whom Babar Azam crashed an unbeaten 114. 

In the South section, Surrey notched their fifth consecutive success to top the table. Jacks, Evans and Amla contributed with the bat, while 21 year-old Dan Moriarty has made an impact with his slow left-arm. Luke Wright’s top-order runs and the economic spin of Danny Briggs didn’t translate into four wins for Sussex. Middlesex opener Steve Eskinazi is currently the tournament’s highest scorer but his side have fallen short too often. The exception came at Canterbury where they held on by just two runs. I don’t normally associate the veteran Tim Murtagh with Twenty20 but this week he took five cheap wickets. 

Besides Azam, only Kent’s Zak Crawley reached three figures and wins over Essex and Surrey next week will enable their progress to the last eight. 

Up North, Nottinghamshire should consolidate their two-point lead at the top with just one win from their final three matches. An enviable batting line-up featuring the likes of Joe Clarke, Hales, Duckett and Christian has yet to disappoint. Yorkshire have been hampered by Covid cases while their Roses rivals and conquerors at Headingley this week, Lancashire, stand second. Durham struck the highest team score of the week: 223-8 against Derbyshire. In that game, Ben Raine slammed eight sixes and just one four in a 39-ball 71. However, they look unlikely to make the quarters. 

Team of the Week: Wright (Sus), Eskinazi (Mid), Lyth (Yor), Clarke (Not), Raine (Dur), Lawrence (Ess), Cox (Wor +), Van Buuren (Glo), Sisodya (Gla), Murtagh (Mid), Waller (Som)