The Last Over
Six deliveries from this week's county cricket
Performance of the week goes to Jamie Porter, who took 6/52, second time around for Essex, helping them beat Worcestershire by just 28 runs. The 31-year-old was the leading wicket taker in Division 1 last year and has continued in much the same vein this campaign with 14 wickets at 20.07. Porter made the most of a seam friendly wicket and overcast conditions to seal an excellent turnaround victory for Essex, having been bowled out for just 179 in their first innings.
The performance was not without a splash of controversy however. Ethan Brookes had made a lively 88, including seven 6s, putting on 64 for the final wicket and threatening to steal the game for Worcestershire, when he chipped a caught and bowled chance back to Porter who claimed a match-sealing catch that many thought had hit the ground. Porter said after the game: “I was 100 per cent certain I'd taken it. I've never claimed a catch that wasn't clean in my career.”
Rehan Ahmed is an interesting conundrum for England, their youngest men’s player in all three formats and the only man to be a part of all five of the England senior team’s tours this winter, he nevertheless feels a long way from really nailing down a spot or a clear role in any of the red or white ball sides. However the all-rounder doesn’t even turn 21 until August and has this season it seems added a new and potentially exciting string to his bow – opening the batting.
Thrust into the role as an emergency due to Rishi Patel dislocating his thumb, he has so far thrived. He made a lively 77 from 59 balls against Derbyshire last week and went even better this time around against Lancashire, scoring exactly 100 at the top of the order, his second first class century.
Perhaps the most relevant thing to happen this week in relation to the future make up of the England team was someone not playing, Sam Cook rested by Essex at the request of the national side and now looking very likely to make a Test debut against Zimbabwe in May. Elsewhere with the ball, Gus Atkinson took 4/120 in his first game of the season, teammate Matthew Fisher taking 2/46 as Surrey drew with Sussex. Matthew Potts took 1/71 and 2/88 for Durham as they drew with Yorkshire. It has not been a great start to the season for Shoaib Bashir, the spinner had figures of 0/85 for Glamorgan in their defeat to Middlesex and now has just two wickets at an average of 152 this campaign.
With the bat, Zak Crawley just about kept his tentative grip on his England place, making an unbeaten 54 in the second innings to help Kent bat themselves to a draw against Gloucestershire. Ollie Pope made a first century of the season with 103.With one eye on this winter’s Ashes, Australia’s Cameron Green made his first appearance for 206 days, scoring 100 for Gloucestershire in their draw with Kent and then immediately retiring hurt with cramp (he would return to eventually finish on 112)
Sussex’s Tom Haines and Middlesex’s Max Holden have a fair amount in common, left-handed, mid-20s, top order bats, they both have endured some lean times (Holden more so than Haines) despite early promise that marked them out as future prospects. However they both had something of a return to form last season – Haines averaging 40.95 with three centuries, Holden 49.05 with two – and have picked up where they left off this campaign, finding themselves top of the run scoring charts in Division 1 and 2 respectively. Haines has 449 at an average of 89.80, with 141 v Somerset and 174 and 69* against Surrey this week. Holden has 398 at 66.33 with 184 v Lancashire and 107 this week against Glamorgan.
This week’s idea to improve county cricket is a simple one – more live animals. I present the following as supporting evidence:
Results
Div 1
Durham v Yorkshire – Match Drawn
Essex v Worcestershire – Essex won by 28 runs
Hampshire v Somerset – Match Drawn
Sussex v Surrey – Match Drawn
Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire – Match Drawn
Div 2
Derbyshire v Northamptonshire – Match Drawn
Kent v Gloucestershire – Match Drawn
Lancashire v Leicestershire – Match Drawn
Middlesex v Glamorgan – Middlesex won by 9 wickets