Latest news with #ex-Somerset
News18
5 days ago
- Sport
- News18
'Reduces The Game To Farce': England Legend Fumes Over County Pitch
The former England and Somerset stalwart hammered the club for preparing a bizarre surface for what turned out to be a two-day contest against Durham. A shocking surface used for an English County Championship match by hosts Somerset against Durham attracted the wrath of England's former skipper and legendary all-rounder, Ian Botham. Botham took the Somerset County Cricket Club to task for preparing an 'appalling' pitch that played all sorts of tricks in an extraordinary two-day match up at Taunton. The great was left fuming over his old club after 35 wickets fell over just five sessions of play held at the Cooper Associates Ground, 22 of which went to the spinners, as Somerset wrapped up their victory by five wickets. Amidst talks of selectors and team management ignoring form and performances in the County Championship, the former Somerset stalwart cited the strange scenes in Taunton to back the decisions made by England's cricket director, Rob Key, and Test skipper Ben Stokes in recent times. 'As an ex-Somerset player, I find this appalling," Botham tweeted with the pictures of a surface that looked underprepared and doctored to suit Somerset's attack, with a few brown patches and loads of grass elsewhere. 'At a time when county cricket is under pressure for relevance as a breeding ground for international 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." 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.… — BeefyBotham (@BeefyBotham) July 23, 2025 'I am not surprised that Rob and Ben 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, added Botham, who represented Somerset in 176 first-class matches between 1974 and 1986. Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, Somerset unleashed their international seamer Craig Overton on the green carpet rolled out for Durham. Overton went on to take 6 for 23 to help dismiss the opposition for only 145. Tom Lammonby's critical 89 then became the only half-century of the first-class game, allowing Somerset to post 250 in response. The hosts later used their spin twins Jack Leach (6/63) and Archie Vaughan (4/85) to cut through Durham's batting line-up again for 190. While Callum Parkinson's four-fer gave them a scare, Somerset eventually eased to the target of 86 in the final innings at five wickets down. A Telegraph report suggests the surface in Taunton has been rated 'below average' by the match referee, Simon Hinks. Somerset could now be handed a penalty, with points deducted from their championship tally. view comments First Published: July 24, 2025, 23:13 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘Not surprised Ben Stokes has to disregard County performances': Ian Botham slams Somerset pitch as 35 wickets fall in 5 sessions
England legend Ian Botham slammed Somerset for preparing an 'appalling' pitch ahead for the County Championship match against Durham in Taunton. Botham, now an honorary president of Durham, lambasted his former county side for 'reducing the game to a farce' as he unleashed a social media tirade after 35 wickets were felled across only five sessions in the match. Home side Somerset ended up beating Durham by five wickets within two days of play at the Cooper Associates Ground, with 22 of the fallen 35 wickets going to the spinners. After winning the toss, Somerset bundled out Durham on a green carpet for 145 in the first innings as seamer Craig Overton claimed 6 for 23 in ten overs. Somerset's Tom Lammonby marked the only half-century of the match, a 109-ball 89 as they put on 250 in reply. Spinners Jack Leach (6-63) and Archie Vaughan (4-85) then shot down Durham in the second innings before Somerset got to an 86-run target in 19.2 overs. Botham, who played 176 matches for Somerset, shared images of the Taunton pitch on X and said: '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 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.' 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.… — BeefyBotham (@BeefyBotham) July 23, 2025 Botham also stated that he could understand why ECB managing director Rob Key and Test captain Ben Stokes have to overlook county performances. 'I am not surprised that Rob and Ben unfortunately have to disregard county performances in assessing players for Test-quality appearances,' he continued. '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.' Durham bowling coach Graham Onions said 'there was excessive turn' on offer during the entire game. 'The bottom line is that it is day one and a half and the game is over, which is not good for county cricket,' Onions added. However, Somerset coach Jason Kerr countered the comments from Botham and Onions, describing the pitch as 'an incredible surface'. 'There has been a lot of noise surrounding the pitch, but I thought it was an incredible surface. You can't see 400 runs scored in a day, as happened yesterday, and then complain about the wicket. 'We have to find a way of getting results here and, because there has been so much cricket at the ground this year, we had to prepare a used pitch. Craig and Jack exploited any help in it because they are top quality bowlers,' Kerr told the ECB Reporters Network.
