Category: England Cricket

There were plenty of thrilling finishes this week, but more could be done to eradicate dull draws

By the 99.94 Cricket Blog

If you were asked which recent England player had delivered these results – lost by five wickets, won by 504 runs, drawn, lost by five wickets – you would guess Jonny Bairstow, wouldn’t you?

The Bears and Leicestershire secured victories inside three days on another busy weekend of action

After pulling a muscle on 99, diving for the line during a quick single, Cox completes his hundred muscling a reverse-sweep before hobbling off to field concerned phonecalls from England. A fabulous hundred. Essex 251-4 and a lead of 312.

How is Warwickshire’s chase going? Pretty well, although Hamza Shaikh has just been caught by YJB off new boy Buckingham and Davies lost his off stumps to a screamer from Ben Coad. Only 125 more needed.

Josh Tongue was on form again as Nottinghamshire beat Sussex to move ahead of the pack in Division One

By the 99.94 Cricket Blog

Josh Tongue’s second five-fer of the season will have England’s chief selector, Luke Wright, licking his lips at the prospect of getting the tall pacer back in the phalanx of fast bowlers all countries need these days. For now, Haseeb Hameed is having his say about his speedster’s work and Nottinghamshire sit atop Division One as a result.

Zafar Gohar’s half-century helped Middlesex secure a draw against Derbyshire in the only County Championship match in this round to make it to the fourth day

And now Eskinazi slips through the Derbyshire fingers, gloved behind – the ball seems to fly off the gloves of Guest and loop just short of the sprawling close fielders. Derbys 94-1.

A couple of cricketing letters:

The usual suspects may take the big prizes come the autumn, but it’s been a spring for the underdogs

By the 99.94 Cricket Blog

In a round short on thrills, there was a sensational fourth morning at Chelmsford, where Worcestershire’s Ethan Brookes and Essex’s Jamie Porter were both cast in the role of a hero who wasn’t quite – for different reasons.

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…Worcestershire have already lost a wicket, and unfortunately for them it was Matthew Waite, a fourth wicket for Porter. The bowlers are in shirt sleeves, the keeper up the stumps, the three slips neatly arranged in height order.

Ali reports from Birmingham, where it is “pissing down”. It isn’t currently raining in Manchester, but is very soggy – think pile of newspapers accidentally left out in the rain by the newsagent. Rain too at Derby. Elsewhere, however…

Attacking hundreds from Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence helped Surrey to 390 for three on the third day against Sussex, who made 435 in their first innings

A first missive: and a very happy Easter to you Tim Maitland:

“Salutations Tanya!

“I’m struggling to concentrate on the cricket at the moment. It doesn’t help that my beloved Western Bulldogs (Long story short: some disreputable caddies on the LPGA decided I needed an AFL team and I didn’t have the sense to ignore them) are playing St. Kilda right now.

“But it’s not just that.

“I’m finding it hard to get a sense of who is in form, especially with the bat. Maybe it’s because we were distracted by Tom Banton’s 371, which he’s followed with scores of 6, 0 and 5. How long a lead does a triple centurion get before his chain is yanked?

“If Surrey’s Dom Sibley adds significantly to his 40 overnight, does he hold the crown after a 66 at Essex and then 100 not out and 1055 against Hampshire? Incidentally he made 3 in his one game for Khulna Tigers in Chittagong, which is officially called Chattogram, which would be a great name for a social media platform wouldn’t it?

“Or is it Tom Haines? His 174 against Surrey in this round of matches is, weather permitting, potentially match winning and his second innings 141 set up the victory against Somerset last week.

“As for bowlers... have you got anything? [Ed – My immediate thought is Fergus O’Neill?]

“The Bulldogs, incidentally, have living legend Marcus Bontempelli aka The Bont back for the first time this season, but as I speak our 6 ft 10 in young superstar-to-be ruckman Sam Darcy has just hobbled off with an injured knee, which would be a disaster for the Doggies.”

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Dom Bess has ushered Yorkshire over the 300 line with a boundary but he’s losing partners, Ben Raine has bowled Sears to collect his fourth wickets of the innings.

And Cameron Green, reluctantly, must leave the field at Canterbury – tries to stare down the umpire after he gives him out (unluckily) lbw, but the ump keeps his finger raised until he turns tail. Gloucs 385-9.