Yorkshire thrash Essex, Surrey and Notts held to draws: county cricket day four – as it happened

Alex Lees scored 156 for Durham as the runs piled up at the Oval, while Lancashire finally won a Championship match in 2025

Plugged into the Lancs live-stream. Jimmy in long sleeves polishes and polishes the precious Kookaburra. Madsen carefully plays Balderson back. A maiden. Derbyshire 175 for three.

A wicket at Taunton (Dickson lbw Patterson-White, Somerset 18-2); rain at Canterbury – where Justin Broad, unbeaten on 122, was yesterday watched by his dad Neil who won a silver medal alongside Tim Henman in the men’s doubles at the 1996 Olympics. And play due to restart soon at York.

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Talisman Stokes at Edgbaston evokes Flintoff’s 2005 impact – but he is due a score

England team hang on their captain’s every word but he is on his longest run of Tests without a century

A day out from the second Test against India at Edgbaston and Andrew Flintoff was dog-sticking to England’s batters in the nets, his very presence bringing memories of 20 years ago flooding back. It was here where Flintoff wrote his name into Ashes folklore, igniting the afterburners for England’s statement first innings, rescuing the second with a six-laden counterattack, and then sending down a famous over on the third evening that vaporised Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting.

As well as driving England to that famous two-run victory, 141 runs and seven wickets across the four days made it Flintoff’s statistical peak as a fast-bowling all-rounder – the only time he went north of 100 runs and five wickets in the same Test. People often underestimate the physical and mental demands that the dual role places on those hardy enough to even attempt it; expecting both facets of their game to deliver consistently is unrealistic save for a handful of freakish greats.

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Wayne Larkins obituary

Northamptonshire and England cricketer hailed as a fearless batsman who was nicknamed ‘Ned’

It was some time in the 1980s. The details have gone hazy: it could have been any county cricket ground and any captain being asked by the press why they had lost so badly to Northamptonshire: “What went wrong?” The answer was equally terse: “We got Nedded.”

A “Nedding” meant being on the receiving end of a blistering innings from Wayne “Ned” Larkins, who has died in hospital, while awaiting a heart bypass, aged 71. When he was hot, he could be the most thrilling batsman in the country. But demons of insecurity lurked beneath his cheery countenance and his 13 Test matches were a feeble reward for an exceptional talent.

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India keep England guessing over Jasprit Bumrah before second Test

  • Premier bowler Bumrah could be rested at Edgbaston

  • Captain Gill says decision will be made on Tuesday night

India chose to let speculation swirl around the potential involvement of Jasprit Bumrah in Wednesday’s second Test, insisting that a decision over whether to play their premier bowler would not be taken until late on Tuesday night.

Their fear is that should Edgbaston produce a pitch which favours batting, a prospect made more likely by the dry conditions in which the ground staff have been working, and the rain that is tentatively forecast for the weekend were to fall, a draw would become the most likely result. Playing the 31-year-old might end up doing little more than draining his reserves of energy ahead of a third Test that starts at Lord’s next Thursday. Shubman Gill, the India captain, would say only that Bumrah is “definitely available”.

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Leicestershire stunned by Middlesex: county cricket day three – as it happened

Leicestershire lost in three days after Middlesex had flayed 534, while Yorkshire and Essex face tense finale

The principal incentive to come to Hove on another broiling day is to watch the Italian-Irish offspinning Aussie Corey Rocchiccioli (subs please check) bowl. He delivered 35 overs yesterday and took three for 94 on a batsman-friendly surface. Warwickshire have sensibly kept him on this morning, with the pace of Hannon-Dalby at the other end.

Rocchiccioli is tall and has a pleasingly prancing approach to the wicket, but new batsman Dan Ibrahim - Sussex opener Daniel Hughes was out to Rocchiccioli off the penultimate ball last night for 151 - off-drove the Aussie’s first ball for four and James Coles refused to let him settle, hitting a couple of fours to cow corner as Sussex pressed on past 300.

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