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The Guardian
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
County cricket: Somerset win quickly to gain ground on Surrey and Notts
What do the following have in common? Seven for 162; five for 59; four for 85; six for 63; four for 39; four for 41; six for 51; four for 81; seven for 93; four for 103; four for 82; six for 116; five for 99? Reward yourself with a slice of Battenberg if you shouted: 'Bowling figures by spinners in last week's County Championship matches!' It was the third of four rounds this season using the Kookaburra ball, the trial intended to produce pacers who have the tools to make the most of the flat-seamed, fast-softening ball used in many overseas series (including That One). Well, it's certainly bringing spinners into the game, while the seamers can work on their fielding. The irony is that England's first-choice spinner barely plays county cricket. While leaders Surrey played out a 571 v 537 draw with Yorkshire and second-placed Notts did pretty much the same against Hampshire (with 578 offset by 454), things were, as they often are, different at Taunton. Somerset secured a win over Durham in two days to go third in Division One, Jack Leach bagging seven wickets and Archie Vaughan four, with Callum Parkinson and George Drissell picking up 11 for the visitors. For opinions on the pitch, you can pick your 1980sSomerset and England all-rounder according to taste. Vic Marks was happy with it; Sir Ian Botham (with Durham connections to be fair) was not. Somerset go third, 17 points behind Surrey, with Yorkshire and Hampshire to visit the County Ground in September. Any rumours of increased sales of Pantone charts in Leeds and Southampton are, as yet, unfounded. Warwickshire have nestled in just a point behind Somerset after defeating bottom dwellers Worcestershire in a match that took an unpredictable route to a predictable result. Ethan Brookes, enjoying a fine streak of form, logged 140 and 87, which – allied to Pakistan Test seamer Khurram Shahzad's first-innings six for 42 – left the home side chasing 393 for an unlikely win. At 12 for two, that looked a long way off, but Dan Mousley got things going with 69, and Zen Malik (142) and Beau Webster (100) broke the back of it, Pears dispatched by Bears with five wickets in hand. Warwickshire are looking up; Worcestershire are looking down. Probably a long way down. Essex and Sussex have endured/enjoyed contrasting seasons. John Simpson's newly promoted side simply carried their form and optimism from 2024 into 2025 and have surpassed expectations, showing prominently in Division One. Essex, for so long a byword for consistency, just never got going, their only victory coming in mid-April against lowly Worcestershire. So, a home win at Hove on your coupon? It turned out to be Essex by an innings because, well, it's a funny old game. There was more to it than the capricious nature of cricket, since the game can often be kind as well as cruel. Jamie Porter and Sam Cook were back in, the latter having played fewer than half the Championship matches to date – and that's key for Essex. Buoyed by his own century and one from Jordan Cox, Matt Critchley had a long bowl, four wickets his reward. Nothing makes a spinner look better than runs on the board. Leicestershire's annus mirabilis continued with a win over Derbyshire that banished any memory of the surprise walloping by Middlesex last time out. Their lead at the top of Division Two has now stretched to 34 points. The match was a personal triumph for Rehan Ahmed, who delivered the best all-round performance by an Englishman in a first-class match since Ian Botham in Kolkata 1980. Ahmed made 115, to lead a recovery from none for two, then picked up six for 51 and seven for 93. The leg-spinning all rounder (oh my Adil of long ago) is still only 20! That's easy to forget because he's played five Tests on the subcontinent and has actually slipped down the spin options ladder despite developing his game significantly this summer. Young players, especially young leg-spinners, can go in and out of form almost from session to session, so it's important that selectors do not write him off or put him in a box only to be opened in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh. He can hardly be doing more to advance his case. It's been a good week for all-rounders, with Tom Hartley the star as Lancashire continued to improve on their early season form. First a word for Australian journeyman Chris Green, who came to the crease at 209 for six and made 160. He has averaged more than 100 in his three matches wearing the Red Rose and nipped in with a couple of wickets in each of Gloucestershire's innings while going at less than 2.3 an over. Money well spent on that contract. Hartley, in at No 10, cruised in Green's slipstream to register a debut first-class ton, last man out for 130. It wasn't long before Jimmy Anderson asked him to bowl and his six for 116 was crucial in allowing the follow-on to be enforced. Hartley's second-innings five for 99 was instrumental in ensuring that there was time, just, for Keaton Jennings and Josh Bohannon to knock off the 110 runs for the win. Green and Hartley's numbers have grabbed the headlines, of course, but it's worth noting that they batted for around eight hours between them and bowled 34 overs each to give their captain the option. I'm sure Anderson will have asked them about the follow-on and I'm sure they said they were raring to go, but it's quite the feat of physical and mental resilience to bowl 27 and 28 overs, respectively, second time round. This article is from The 99.94 Cricket Blog
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Yorkshire v Surrey, Sussex v Essex, and more: county cricket day three
Update: Date: 2025-07-24T09:10:36.000Z Title: Thursday's round-up Content: Somerset wrapped up their five-wicket win against Durham before tea on day two, though not without a wobble. The surface was the main talking point, with opinions varying depending on the colour of the tracksuit. The Somerset head coach, Jason Kerr, called it 'an incredible surface' while Durham's bowling coach, Graham Onions, was less complimentary about the 'excessive turn'. Jack Leach pocketed a six-fer, for the second consecutive game, and Archie Vaughan four, as Durham were bowled out for 190 – leaving Somerset 86 to win. They scraped over the line, despite Callum Parkinson's four wickets. After a shimmering century on Tuesday, Rehan Ahmed fizzed out six Derbyshire batters for 51 in a dazzling display of leg-spin. Leicestershire lead by 209. Derbyshire's Luis Reece had earlier collected six for 56 as Leicestershire's tail collapsed. Chris Green won the heart of Lancashire fans with a wham-bam 160, all long levers and princely smile. When he was eventually dismissed for the record score for a Lancashire No 8, his standing ovation ran into the one welcoming No 11, Jimmy Anderson. Tom Hartley then raced to his first first-class century, a clean-hitting knock, pipping Peter Martin to the highest score by a Lancashire No 10. Anderson then licked his lips and whistled out Cameron Bancroft cheaply, but that was Lancs' only success as Ben Charlesworth hit an excellent century of his own in a match that looks destined for a high-scoring draw. Ben Kellaway and Colin Ingram batted Glamorgan into an excellent position against Kent, who are making a better fist of their second innings. With his parents in the crowd, Lyndon James rocked to a maiden double hundred as Nottinghamshire declared on 578 at Southampton; Warwickshire are on the rocks after first Ethan Brookes made a career-best 140 against his old club Worcestershire, and then Khurram Shazad fired six batters out for 42. Rain ruined much of the day's play at Scarborough, with just time for Yorkshire's Jonny Bairstow to rattle to 72 before being caught off Surrey's two-match Kookaburra-ball signing Sai Kishore. England man in the wings Jordan Cox hot-footed to a brilliant century for Essex, putting on 184 with Matt Critchley (a fine 123), who both made the most of a temptingly short boundary on the pavilion side. Sussex toiled away, without the rested Ollie Robinson, until thunderstorms stopped play with the Essex lead 247. Middlesex declared on 625 for eight, riches beyond dreams, thanks to hundreds for Kane Williamson (in his first red-ball innings for the club) and Leus du Plooy, and 151 for Max Holden. Northants hauled themselves to 121 for four at stumps. Update: Date: 2025-07-24T09:10:36.000Z Title: Scores on the doors Content: DIVISION ONE Southampton: Hampshire 80-0 v Nottinghamshire 578-8dec Taunton: Somerset 250 and 89-5 BEAT Durham 145 and 190 By FIVE WICKETS Hove: Sussex 204 v Essex 475-9 Edgbaston: Warwickshire 184 v Worcestershire 333 and 31-0 Scarborough: Yorkshire 376-5 v Surrey DIVISION TWO Derby: Derbyshire 189 v Leicestershire 398 Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 327 v Kent 155 and 106-1 Cheltenham: Gloucestershire 179-1 v Lancashire 557 Merchant Taylors' School: Middlesex 625-8 dec v Northamptonshire 126-4 Update: Date: 2025-07-24T09:10:36.000Z Title: Preamble Content: Good morning! Day three races around, with things already done and dusted at Taunton, though the recriminations continue. Before a ball is bowled… As an ex Somerset player I find this appalling... at a time when County Cricket is under pressure for relevance as a breeding ground for InternationalPlayers and Somerset members have apparently voted for the status quo, the club produces this pitch.… Elsewhere, Sussex, Warwickshire, Derbyshire and Northants will hope that the Kookaburra can save them. Play starts at 11am, do join us.
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Lord Botham ‘appalled' by Somerset pitch on which 35 wickets fell in five sessions
Lord Ian Botham has launched an extraordinary tirade against his first county Somerset over an 'appalling' pitch they served up for the Championship match against Durham, which was over in just five sessions. England legend Botham, 69, represented Somerset between 1974 and 1986 but left in acrimonious circumstances after they fired his great friend Viv Richards. Botham moved first to Worcestershire, then Durham, where he was chairman until earlier this year. Despite being replaced in the chair by Phil Collins, Botham is now the club's honorary president and has gone in to bat for Durham over a County Championship match they lost on Wednesday by five wickets before tea on the second of four days. Botham posted pictures of the heavily-used pitch at Taunton (where there is a stand named after him) before the match. It was played using the Kookaburra ball, with which bowlers have struggled to take wickets. There were no such struggles at Taunton, with 22 wickets falling on the first day and 13 more on the second. The last 18 wickets all fell to spin, with jack Leach eventually taking a match-winning six for 63 for Somerset. It is understood that the pitch has been graded 'below average' by the match referee Simon Hinks, with an investigation to follow from the cricket regulator which could lead to a deduction in the 19 points Somerset picked up in the match. Botham said conditions like these were putting the England hierarchy off selecting players based on county form, and criticised Somerset for their desire to stick at 14 Championship matches per season when some clubs – including Durham – are pushing for a reduction to 12 in search of greater quality. Botham said on X: 'Before a ball is bowled… As an ex-Somerset player I find this appalling... at a time when county cricket is under pressure for relevance as a breeding ground for international [cricket]. 'Players and Somerset members have apparently voted for the status quo, the club produces this pitch. These are not first-class cricket conditions in mid-summer... I am not surprised that Rob [Key] and Ben [Stokes] unfortunately have to disregard county performances in assessing players for Test quality appearances. 'Durham raised serious concerns the day before the game started... change is needed... both Somerset and Durham have high quality batsmen... Somerset do not need to do this... reduces the game to a farce.' The Somerset head coach Jason Kerr described the pitch as 'incredible', pointing to the fact that 400 runs were scored on the opening day. The Durham chief executive Tim Bostock disputed this. 'We made our displeasure clear before a ball had been bowled, both to Somerset and the ECB [England and Wales Cricket Board],' Bostock told Telegraph Spor t. 'I've no doubt the pitch will attract the attention of the ECB. 'Somerset are one of the counties who want to keep the Championship at 14 matches, but if they continue to prepare pitches like this then there's little point in that. The wicket was used, and not fit for first-class cricket. Yes, 400 runs were scored on the opening day, but that is only because of batsmen attacking at very aggressive strike-rates before the pitch inevitably got the better of them, confirmed by the fact that 22 wickets fell for those runs. 'In the cold light of day I am sure Somerset will be disappointed with that pitch, irrespective of the result.' Graham Onions, the Durham bowling coach, said 'there was excessive turn', adding: 'The bottom line is that it is day one and a half and the game is over, which is not good for county cricket.'
The Independent
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Jack Leach bowls Somerset to victory over Durham inside two days
Jack Leach claimed six for 63 as Somerset wrapped up a five-wicket win over Durham inside two days of their Rothesay County Championship Division One clash at Taunton. The visitors, who resumed on five for two in their second innings, were bowled out for 190, with off-spinner Archie Vaughan assisting Leach with four for 85. Somerset required 86 for victory and reached the target in 19.2 overs, despite four for 39 from Durham's Callum Parkinson. Lyndon James hit an unbeaten 203 for second-placed Nottinghamshire against Hampshire. James' knock off 236 balls included 20 fours and eight sixes as the away side, who resumed on 241 for five, declared on 578 for eight at Southampton. Hampshire trail by 498 runs after closing on 80 without loss. Yorkshire captain Jonny Bairstow hit 72 off 90 balls but only 24.1 overs were possible on day two against leaders Surrey due to wet weather at Scarborough. The hosts, who were 282 for four overnight, are handily placed on 376 for five. But, with almost 82 overs already lost to rain, chances of a win for either side are diminishing rapidly. Centuries from Jordan Cox and Matt Critchley strengthened Essex's position against Sussex at Hove. Cox made 132 and Critchley 123 as the away team reached 475 for nine – a first-innings lead of 271 – before bad light and rain took 28 overs off the day's allocation. Ethan Brookes' career-best 140 helped Worcestershire post 333 before six for 42 from Khurram Shahzad and three wickets from Adam Finch restricted Warwickshire to 184 in reply. Bottom-of-the-table Worcestershire are 31 without loss in the second innings at Edgbaston, leading by 180 runs. In Division Two, Rehan Ahmed took six wickets to add to his opening-day century as leaders Leicestershire dismissed second-placed Derbyshire for 189 to establish a commanding first-innings lead of 209. Lewis Hill increased his overnight tally from 132 to 151 and Peter Handscomb moved on to 101 but the visitors, who resumed on 357 for three, made only 41 more as Derbyshire's Luis Reece finished with six for 56. Ahmed, who registered 115 with the bat on Tuesday, then emulated Reece's exploits with a career-best six for 51, including removing Derbyshire top scorers Caleb Jewell (54) and Harry Came (56), to keep his side in control. Middlesex skipper Leus du Plooy joined team-mates Max Holden and Kane Williamson in making a century before declaring on 625 for eight at home to Northamptonshire. The visitors reached 126 for four at stumps – trailing by 499 – after Holden and Williamson increased their respective overnight scores from 137 to 151 and 88 to 114 and Du Plooy plundered 105. At Cheltenham, Chris Green and Tom Hartley starred with the bat as Lancashire assumed the upper hand against Gloucestershire. Green posted 160 from 199 balls and Hartley hit 130 off 153 deliveries in a formidable first-innings total of 557 before unbeaten pair Ben Charlesworth (104) and Joe Phillips (60) helped the hosts to 179 for one in response after captain Cameron Bancroft was trapped lbw by Sir James Anderson. Ben Kellaway and Colin Ingram combined to give Glamorgan the ascendancy against Kent at Cardiff. Resuming together at the crease, Kellaway ended on 90 and Ingram hit 87 in a first-innings total of 327 before Kent replied with 106 for one in their second innings, trailing by 66.
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Liam Dawson conjures one great moment on his big return to Test cricket
Liam Dawson stood at his mark, ball cradled in his hands, forearms level to the ground, elbows splayed, sunglasses – completely unnecessarily – in place. There was nothing bright about the situation on this grey Mancunian afternoon except the 35-year-old's immediate future. Eight years after his last opportunity, Test cricketer once more. Many players give umpires items of clothing to look after while they bowl; Dawson's habit was to hand Ahsan Raza something to take care of while he didn't. Those sunglasses were required only when he had the ball in his hands (and eventually, late into the last session, it became so dark he let Raza keep them). Batters seeking some kind of clue as to his thinking were certainly not going to learn anything from his eyes, not if he could help it. On a day when one recent England spinner, Jack Leach, took the last five wickets of a six-fer in Somerset's win against Durham, another, Tom Hartley, almost doubled his career-best first-class score with 130 for Lancashire against Gloucestershire, and a third, Rehan Ahmed, trumped them both by following a century with six wickets for Leicestershire at Derby, the current pick had to make do with more high-profile but less eye-catching results. There was very little turn as Dawson made his big return, but still he eked out one great moment. Before the game his new teammates had repeatedly mentioned being struck by one particular aspect of Dawson's character. 'He's willing to always fight for the team, he's very competitive,' Harry Brook said on Monday. 'I know the cricketer he is, but I think what does go under the radar is his competitiveness,' Ben Stokes said on Tuesday. And it was there to be seen after the first ball of his second over found Yashasvi Jaiswal's edge and Brook's hands. Not in how he sprinted to his right, yelling and punching the air before exchanging high fives and 10s with his colleagues (he has a habit, after delivering the ball, of wheeling away with his arms outstretched, albeit briefly and quietly, even when nothing interesting has resulted at all). But in the swiftness with which he broke from the celebratory huddle, thoughts already on the next challenge. By the time anyone else realised that the man of the moment was no longer among them Dawson had paced out his mark and was preparing to bowl round the wicket for the first time, to the arriving right-hander Shubman Gill. There is a pleasing air of certainty about Dawson, a player experienced enough to know precisely what he is doing and where all of his teammates should be positioned to benefit from it. On this day it was a quality Gill could only admire enviously. Half an hour before play began the India captain was asked, after losing the toss for the fourth time this series, what he would have done had the coin fallen in his favour. He replied that it was just as well he lost, because: 'I was actually confused'. And he probably said something very similar about his dismissal a few hours later, after he left a Ben Stokes delivery that, had his pad not got in the way, would have clattered into middle and off. Gill had spoken before this game of his belief that fortune has not favoured his side in this series. 'Hopefully,' he sniffed, 'in the next two matches the luck is going to be with us.' Maybe in the circumstances the result of the toss, unfortunate as it initially appeared, was the kind of break he was seeking. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion Particularly given the decision Stokes made after winning it. As captain Stokes has already been responsible for 40% of all instances of England winning the toss and choosing to field in Tests at Old Trafford, something he has done both times the coin has fallen in his favour here (and all other English captains in history three times out of 38). Just another way in which he cocks a snook at tradition, though India will not be reading too much into the oft-quoted statistic about bowling first here – that no side in Test history has ever chosen to do so and won – given it would almost certainly have fallen had rain not when Australia visited in 2023. But India's luck, such as it was, was not to hold, on a day that saw freak damage both to one of Jaiswal's bats and, much more meaningfully, to Rishabh Pant's right foot. The main difference between the incidents was that with India's vice-captain, unlike their opener, nobody could run out from the dressing room with four new ones to choose from, the similarity that both were caused by deliveries from Chris Woakes. The 36-year-old is not normally known as a destroyer either of men or ligneous hardware, but though he is one of the least heavy metal cricketers around this was one of the more appropriate days for a beloved son of Birmingham to rip a bat in two.
