Key events
To sum up: play abandoned for the day at Grace Road, no play anywhere now, no play before lunch at The Oval, but, like a snowdrop in January, a pitch inspection at 11.30 at Bristol.
Time for some coffee.
“Good morning Tanya!” Hello there Tim Maitland.
“I’m not sure how relevant this is considering the plethora of pyjama play before the “Proper Cricket”* begins against the West Indies in July, but if Brendon Barrie “Baz” McCullum had a wish list for his batters in this round of Championship matches his dreams have almost all come true.
”Top of the list would have been to silence the seemingly endless queue of doubters of “Young” Jonny Bairstow: an unbeaten century in the highest run chase in T20 history? That will do nicely sir.
’Next a return to run-scoring form for Root: a century with the frippery and frivolity shelved until the nerveless nineties? Perfect.
”A sign that grief has not dulled Harry Brook’s prodigious appetite for destruction: Two sixes and 17 fours at a tick under a run per ball? Lovely.
“Maybe a reminder that Ben Duckett’s 153 in Rajkot was only two months ago: 218 of Nottinghamshire’s total of 400 at Edgbaston? Well, I don’t want to seem greedy… but don’t worry about Ollie Pope, his 196 in Hyderabad has a long shelf life.
”Coming soon: Ollie Robinson to show up with signs of a developing six pack and Ben Stokes to reel off ten overs on the bounce.”
”* I want this trademarked and used to promote the long-form game to fellow curmudgeons. All merchandise in muted shades, naturally.
No DayGlo.”
Jam for tea indeed.
Yorkshire, Glamorgan and Australia’s Jason Gillespie is the new Pakistan Test coach:
Delay, delays, abandonments.
Delayed starts at The Oval, Durham, Edgbaston, Worcestershire, Bristol, and Headingley. And for a full set, they’ve already called it a day at Grace Road
Weather watch
In Manchester it is damp. Elsewhere? The Met office says: “Locally heavy rain and brisk winds moving north across many eastern and central parts, mostly clearing into the North Sea by late afternoon. Drier and brighter in the west with sunny spells and scattered showers. Still rather cool for most.”
The current scene at Grace Road:
Saturday’s round-up
Centuries of different but sparkling hues by Joe Root and Harry Brook helped Yorkshire to maximum batting points at Headingley. Together they dabbed 201 for the fourth wicket, Root celebrating his 10th century for Yorkshire with a reverse-ramp for six before being bowled by a Zak Chappell yorker for 119, shaking his head as he trudged off.
Brook’s hundred, his ninth for Yorkshire and second of the season, was a more brutal affair at a run a ball. Derbyshire looked in deep trouble at 23 for three, but Wayne Madsen (88) and Brooke Guest (74) frustrated Yorkshire until stumps on a day so chilly that Root fielded in a snood.
Essex batted with restrained fortitude at Chester-le-Street, thanks to a quick-witted and stylish century from Feroze Khushi, his second for Essex, and a steady unbeaten 94 from Nick Browne, trailing by just 44 but with rain forecast for Sunday.
The groundsman Vic Demain explained that the wet weather had meant that his team couldn’t get heavy machinery on to the square early this year to compact the earth, and that therefore pitches are starting softer than he would like, without the bounce he was aiming for. Durham’s attack proved testing in the early overs of the day, with Ben Raine and Matthew Potts agitating, unsuccessfully but energetically, for several close lbw shouts.
Rory Burns put together a seven-hour 113, blunting skilful spells from Kyle Abbott and Mohammad Abbas, to reach his first hundred since July 2022. The innings hauled Surrey from a wobbly 44 for four to an intimidating 359 on a grassy Oval pitch. Jordan Clark provided the power hitting, freestyling an unbeaten 106 at a run a ball, and biffing Surrey to a lead of 208. Browbeaten Hampshire then lost two quick wickets before the rain fell.
Pepperpot Ben Duckett duly reached a brilliant 200 at Edgbaston, the fifth of his career and the one he considers his best in county cricket, as Nottinghamshire got the upper hand at a damp Edgbaston. He and Dillon Pennington steered Notts to 400, before Warwickshire’s in-form top order were reduced to 26 for three. Ed Barnard and Dan Mousley steered them safely to stumps.
There was a first hundred for George Bartlett in Northamptonshire colours, as he, with support from the gung-ho Chris Tremain and Lewis McManus, carried Northants to maximum batting points, biffing 116 in 14 overs and reaching 450 with two balls to spare.
Ben Sanderson then dismissed Leicestershire’s Australian opener Marcus Harris for a duck. On a wet day at Kidderminster, Jake Libby reached his fourth half century of the summer against Somerset, while Miles Hammond (81) and Graeme van Buuren (75) helped Gloucestershire to a 68-run lead over Middlesex at Bristol.
Scores on the doors
DIVISION ONE
Chester le Street: Durham 358 v Essex 314-3
The Oval: Surrey 359 v Hampshire 151 and 31-2
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 71-3 v Nottinghamshire 400
Kidderminster: Worcestershire 107-1 v Somerset 309-9dec
DIVISION TWO
Bristol: Gloucestershire 271-6 v Middlesex 203
Grace Road: Leicestershire 97-2 v Northampton 453-7dec
Headingley: Yorkshire 450-5 v Derbyshire 190-3
Preamble
Good morning! Round the grounds? Wet.
