Abbas ends with another six wickets after cutting short Pope
On the Oval’s first Saturday of the County Championship summer the sweet murmur of relaxed conversation drifted around the ground. A tight, high-stakes game swung from one clenched dressing-room glove to the other.
It was the new ball, taken just after half past 12 that jolted the crowd awake. Ollie Pope, on his way to what seemed an inevitable hundred, having played with immaculate judgment, leaned back extravagantly and played Mohammad Abbas on to the stumps. Lawes was lbw to the very next ball and, though Kemar Roach played out the hat-trick ball, he fell in Abbas’s next over.
With one wicket left, Sean Abbott exploded into life – caterwauling Keith Barker for 16 runs including one huge one-kneed six that took Surrey to a first-innings lead. Abbas had the last word, though, plucking out Dan Worrall’s middle stump to finish with six for 64. At 58 for four, Hampshire’s second innings threatened to end in ignominy. But Nick Gubbins and Ben Brown pressed on and slowly the shoulders of the pitch relaxed. Gubbins, who survived a tricky chance in the slips, collected his 50 late in the afternoon and Ian Holland stayed with him in an unbeaten partnership of 79. The lead of 182 set the scene for a thrilling last day.
The chance of a result at The Riverside drifted into the far distance, as Worcestershire stacked the cakes carefully on a tray against Durham. The 22-year-old Jack Haynes made 134, his highest first-class score, before the declaration came. There were three wickets for Matthew Potts who chugged his way through 27 overs.
At Edgbaston Zak Crawley was out twice in the day as Kent’s first innings limped to 158, Chris Woakes taking his first first-class wickets for more than a year. Following on, Crawley was lbw to an optimistic shout from Chris Rushworth before bad light stopped play. Warwickshire had declared on 453 for four, thanks to run-a-ball mayhem from Dan Mousley and an unbeaten 165 from Sam Hain.
Northamptonshire were on top in a low-scoring nerve-tingler at the County Ground, set 119 to win after Middlesex were dismissed for 167.
Peter Siddle struck with his first ball in Nottinghamshire’s second innings as Ben Duckett clipped his first Australian test of the summer to midwicket for 15. Haseeb Hameed and Ben Slater got starts but failed to flourish and the Somerset bowlers did their best to keep things tight as the lead built. Somerset had earlier lost six wickets for 40, blushes saved by 60 from Josh Davey and a stoical tail. Brett Hutton finished with six for 45.
The tightly spooled game at Chelmsford unwound a little, with rain permitting 36 overs of play. Keaton Jennings carefully moved to 80, propped up by George Bell in an unbeaten stand of 56 after Lancashire lost Josh Bohannon, Steven Croft and Dane Vilas in quick succession. They go into the final day with a lead of 155. Sam Cook left the field early with a hamstring twinge after bowling on heavy ground.
There was no action at Grace Road and they called it a day at Bristol – match abandoned at 10am on the third day without a ball being bowled because of a persistently damp outfield. “The water table is incredibly high and it doesn’t take much to take us over the line,” said Will Brown, the Gloucestershire chief executive. “This was the wettest March for 40 years and it is a sign of things potentially to come. They are talking about significant areas of the county facing drought this summer, but we are still facing extreme wet conditions now.
“We are going to have to think smarter about when and how we play our cricket and how we protect our grounds. We think of seamers in April, spinners at the end of the summer, but it will be interesting to see if that holds true. The rule book of the season has been ripped up because of climate change.”
Updated
Dusk falls over The Oval after a thrilling day – Ollie Pope, Mohammad Abbas and more. All to play for tomorrow, in fact some fascinating equations round the grounds. We’ll be back tomorrow, thanks for all your messages – good night!
Close of play scores
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex 219 v Lancashire 207 and 167-4
The County Ground: Northants 198 and 30-1 v Middlesex 149 and 167 Northants need 89 to win
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 256 and 187-6 v Somerset 173
The Oval: Surrey 270 v Hampshire 254 and 198-5
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 453-4dec v Kent 158 and 27-1
DIVISION TWO
Chester-le-Street: Durham 425-9dec and 96-2 v Worcestershire 366-5dec
Bristol: Gloucestershire v Yorkshire MATCH ABANDONED
Grace Road: Leicestershire 243-2 v Derbyshire no play Saturday wet outfield
And with Middlesex 96 for six, 47 ahead against Northants; Notts 83-2, with both openers back in the hutch but a handy lead of 166 at Trent Bridge and Kent reaching three figures, despite pursuit by Rushworth and Hasan Ali, time for me to retire to my writing room and tap up for the Observer.
Please do keep chatting BTL, as the talented Ben Brown, glued in the crease, is lbw to Dan Worrall. An excellent partnership broken: Hants 119-5.
Updated
Play abandoned for the day at Chelmsford
Rain has brought today to a premature end. Lancs 167 for four, a lead of 155. Still a result possibly there tomorrow, if the weather holds off. Captain KEaton 80 not out.
Updated
A second duck for the Middlesex scorecard, for Higgins, which reads a sickly 92 for six. A lead of 43. Two for Tremain, two for Sanderson.
And a third wicket for Potts at the gentle afternoon snooze proceeding at The Riverside. Worcs, 319-5.
A hundred for Jack Haynes
A fourth first-class century for Haynes, following 62 against Derbyshire in the first round. It’s been a bit of a slog, but he’s taken Worcestershire safely past the follow-on and well towards handshakes at 5pm tomorrow afternoon. Worcs 313-4, 112 behind.
Tea time scores
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex 219 v Lancashire 207 and 167-4 rain delay
The County Ground: Northants 198 v Middlesex 149 and 78-4
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 256 and 55-1 v Somerset 173
The Oval: Surrey 270 v Hampshire 254 and 103-4
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 453-4dec v Kent 77-3
DIVISION TWO
Chester-le-Street: Durham 425-9dec v Worcestershire 293-4
Bristol: Gloucestershire v Yorkshire MATCH ABANDONED
Grace Road: Leicestershire 243-2 v Derbyshire no play Saturday wet outfield
Eskinazi has lost Max Holden’s company at The County Ground, but Middx have shuffled to 78-4.
Ben Sanderson’s wickets
𝐁𝐞𝐧. 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧. 🔥
— Northamptonshire CCC (@NorthantsCCC) April 15, 2023
𝗕𝗲𝗻. 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻. 🔥
𝙱𝚎𝚗. 𝚂𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗. 🔥
Middlesex 29/2.
Watch live 👉 https://t.co/CU8uwteMyd pic.twitter.com/Jc3UEYiFNn
Ooops, I’m wrong. They briefly renamed The Oval the Mickey Stewart Oval last year, the pavilion renaming was in 2017.
Come outside for a while and there is a gorgeous murmur of conversation and laughter from the far side of the ground near the Surrey pavilion. Love that Surrey chose to honour Mickey Stewart and rename it the Micky Stewart Member’s Pavilion last year.
Brown and Gubbins doing a good job of halting, at least temporarily, the Surrey momentum. Hants 78-4.
Updated
Very impressive digging away by Jennings and young George Bell (TM) takes the Lancs’ lead to 140 at Chelmsford. Middlesex have lost Stoneman for 24, 50-3. Hameed and Duckett stretching Nottinghamshire’s lead like a knicker elastic, 30-0. Kent have lost Compton, for 14, but Bell-Drummon is still there on 28, Kent 48-2 with a long day and a bit’s batting ahead.
While in the only Division Two game in play, Worcestershire are batting and batting. Jack Haynes 77 not out, 252-4, 173 behind.
Lawes removes Liam Dawson’s off stump once more. Gubbins and Brown need to dig deep, very, very deep. The lead only 42, Hants 58-4.
While Surrey go neck and neck with Hampshire, Sam Curran…
Sam Curran is captaining Punjab Kings in the absence of Shikhar Dhawan today, the first time Curran has captained a professional first-team game. Previous experience amounts to Surrey U17s, Wellington College and one Surrey second XI match
— Simon Wilde (@swildecricket) April 15, 2023
Middlesex, whose top order has the misfortune to become something of a running joke after three innings, reached the heights of 29, before Sam Robson was bowled, and Malan (Pieter) bowled two balls later. Great bowling from Sanderson. But Stoneman resists, on 18, Eskinazi joins him. Middx 37-2.
Sean Abbott, a highlights reel:
What a knock from @seanabbott77 to lift Surrey past the Hampshire total 💥💥💥
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) April 15, 2023
🤎| #SurreyCricket https://t.co/7n3NTwqWWd pic.twitter.com/74Bbx7d827
Zac Crawley lbw for a six-ball duck at Edgbaston to Chris Rushworth. Kent 6 for one with a small sized Alpine slope to climb
Somerset’s tail rescues them from disaster again, a last wicket stand of 55 between Peter Siddle (15 not out) and Josh Davey (60) takes them to within 83 runs of Notts’ first innings. Nowhere near a batting point but beggars etc etc.
Oh dear, Felix Organ, goes for a too-eager drive, edges through to Dom Sibley at first slip. The ball flies into his hands and is caught on second attempt.
In comes James Vince in trademark long baggy jumper, carrying a cigarillo. Ah, now he’s out, edging into the tummy of Ollie Pope at second slip with a wafty nothing sort of shot. Similar to the first innings dismissal. Hants 34-3 and suddenly this could be over tonight.
An enterprising declaration by Warwicks, inspired by Dan Mousley’s 94. Declared 453-4, Kent haven’t lost a wicket after eight balls but Compton and Crawley have a job on their hands.
You're going to fall in love with Dan Mousley('s batting). Don't fight it. He's just been out for 94, trying to set up a declaration. That first 100 will come. Many more will follow.
— George Dobell (@GeorgeDobell1) April 15, 2023
Away runs Worrall, away goes Middleston’s off stump, sent flying by a humdinger of a ball which squares him up and kicks into off stump. Hampshire 28-1.
Fletcha Middleton, who has picked up nice handfuls of praise this season, opens with Felix Organ. At 22-0, they lead by six. Make that 12, a gorgeously wristy drive by Middleton whistles Worrall for four.
Lancashire? Ah, four down, losing Bohannon, Croft and Vilas since play started at Chelmsford – about an hour ago. Can George Bell go again? Jennings still there on 57.
Incidentally, there were some lovely quotes from Bell on day 2 about keeping to Anderson:
“I’ve not kept to Jimmy in a game before. I was definitely more nervous about keeping to Jimmy [than batting]. I’d heard stories about him calling out keepers who drop catches off him so I was like, ‘Make sure you catch the ball, Bell!’ I was nervous, but I was feeling good about both [batting and keeping], to be honest. It’s good just to get out there and do well.
“Keeping to Jimmy is like watching art in front of you. He’s just got it on a string and you know exactly where it’s coming. At Old Trafford you get it around your knees sometimes but he gets it right through. It’s just good to watch. It’s just world-class bowling. It’s just good to be a part of.”
A lovely wander round the The Oval at lunch, past a young dad pushing his baby to sleep in a pram, past Scyld Berry back from a book signing, past a group of young children racing back to see Kemar Roach, who opens the bowling in actual sunshine. Surrey’s fielders in shirt-sleeves and short sleeved wooly jumpers.
Also, great informative recycling bins by Surrey.
Nice bins @surreycricket! Excellent touch to help spectators by telling them exactly what goes in each compartment. pic.twitter.com/JEXs3DHBqc
— TheNextTest (@TheNextTest) April 15, 2023
Lunchtime-ish scores
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex 219 v Lancashire 207 and 87-2
The County Ground: Northants 198 v Middlesex 149
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 256 v Somerset 148-9
The Oval: Surrey 270 v Hampshire 254
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 367-3 v Kent
DIVISION TWO
Chester-le-Street: Durham 425-9dec v Worcestershire 192-3
Bristol: Gloucestershire v Yorkshire MATCH ABANDONED
Grace Road: Leicestershire 243-2 v Derbyshire no play Saturday wet outfield
Abbas 6-64, Surrey all out with a lead of 16
Abbott fires Abbas’s first ball for six, Worral tries an uncharacteristic defensive prod and loses his middle stump, cartwheeling back into yesterday. Abbas 6-64 and that’s lunch at The Oval as the spectators dawdle onto the pitch. What a cracking game. Lunch scores round the grounds to follow.
Surrey have a go
Abbott widens his stance and heaves, away flies the ball to and through the fielder at long-on and to the rope for a batting point. For his next trick, Abbott drops to one knee and caterwauls, this time over Fuller’s head for six and the lead. The next is pancaked straight for four more. A toe-ended drive breaks his bat. And the new ball which was so potent in Abbas’ hands, proves expensive in Barker’s. Sixteen from the over.
The Oval sun is out, the pigeons are coo-ing under the rafters, and Abbott drives Abbas straight down the ground for four. The next raps him on the knuckles and he throws the bottom hand away from the bat. The third thuds into his pads as he is late to prop forward and he is sent on his way. Surrey now 246-9, 8 behind and Abbas has three with the new ball, five in total, 14 wickets in three innings this season!
Somerset’s middle-order doing their thing:
🎥 On a roll.
— Nottinghamshire CCC (@TrentBridge) April 15, 2023
Three in seven balls for #HitmanHutton 😮💨
Watch #NOTSOM with #TrentBridgeLive 👉https://t.co/vsj1aunTFe pic.twitter.com/9WVGxWnPEd
No cigar. Kemar Roach plays the ball immaculately back. Surrey 235-8, still 19 behind.
A furious Ollie Pope, who just restrains himself from letting his bat fly, marches off, after leaning back extravagantly, preparing to cut and playing onto the stumps. Abbas the man. That average drops to the pitiful low nineties. Two in two! Lawes lbw first ball, and Abbas on a hat-trick!
Hampshire have the new ball and its Abbott v Abbott, thankfully both spelt the same way. Woof, there goes Abbott S, off his boots for two consecutive fours.
An update from Chelmsford where lunch will be taken at 12.30 and play will start at 1.10.
Keogh is still there at Northants – in fact he has fifty, his tail limping alongside. But Northants lead Middlesex by 16 precious runs.
And, dear god, Somerset. Now 87-8, TKC unable to haul his new club out of the mire, gone for 10. the gloriously bearded Brett Hutton six for 32.
And Ollie Pope has just scored his thousandth run against Hampshire, in 8 matches, right this moment averaging 126 against them. At the start of this game his average at The Oval was 94.69 for Surrey. A tasty hundred and fifty or so and that will be back up to three figures.
Key event
Lift your hearts Glamorgan fans:
It’s good to be back @GlamCricket pic.twitter.com/jle7gU7tku
— Marnus Labuschagne (@marnus3cricket) April 15, 2023
It’s neck and neck at The Oval. Steel flicked six over square leg, then tried almost exactly the same shot and was caught. The deficit still 49, six wickets down, Pope still there
Jim Troughton, Surrey’s assistant coach said yesterday: ““The judgement and technique you’ve got to show against some skilful operators was a good effort but there’s a lot of work ahead of us tomorrow. If we can a 50 or even 30 run lead the conditions mean it’s hard to score quickly and hopefully our bowlers can create chances too when they bat again.”
I think they’ll be lucky to get that.
Ollie Pope swoops almost effortlessly towards a hundred, back leg raised, straight drives Barker down to the rope. As perfect as a ripe peach in a French orchard.
And more on that Saudi league – this suggests they have a bit more to do that just dot the Is.
#SACF#SaudiCricket
— الاتحاد السعودي للكريكيت | SACF (@cricketsaudi) April 14, 2023
Statement 📝⬇️ pic.twitter.com/sg8wfR1fAx
Round the grounds, with half an hour gone:
The Oval: Pope still there, Cam Steel not out 0, hoping to be as much as an irritant to Hampshire as he was against Lancashire last week. Surrey 168-5.
Trent Bridge: A wicket! But not to Stuart Broad. Actually make that two. Both to Paterson, Bancroft and Abell the middle-order bankers back in the pavilion. Time for TKC to play an innings to remember at his new club. Somerset 50-4.
Wantage Road: Two Northants wickets gone, but they’re in sight of Middlesex’s total. Northants 132-5, 17 short.
The Riverside: no wickets yet, though Matthew Potts is finding his voice. Worcs 113-2.
Soggy watch
An inspection at noon at Chelmsford, 11.30am at Edgbaston, no play today at Grace Road and of course match abandoned at Bristol. Everywhere else, bat and ball are in play.
Updated
Ollie Pope fifty!
Hollow (literally) applause echoes round The Oval as Ollie Pope reaches his fifty, and then immediately, pulls from the locker a gorgeous drive through the covers for four. Next over, Smith pushes forward stylishly yet – disaster - Abbot has nipped the ball through the gate to remove the off stump. Surrey 162-5.
Mohammad Abbas resumes his place at the Vauxhall end; Abbot at the pavilion end. But there is a smidgen of sunshine and things look fractionally easier for the batters today.
A fascinating stat from Cam at Surrey, who says that in 2013, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope and Phil Salt all played for Guildford’s second team. For now, only Pope is out in the middle on 48, Smith on 11.
Friday's round-up
Hampshire, so the story going round the Oval went, refused Pep Guardiola the penthouse suite when Manchester City stayed at Rose Bowl’s Hilton hotel.
The reason? Nobody moves Mohammad Abbas out of his rooms. And Abbas rewarded such due reverence by sliding in like running water from the Vauxhall End, weaving the ball with complete mastery.
The wind that rattled the flags on the pavilion was both tenacious and bloody cold, with Hampshire’s fielders looking pained by their time on the field. Abbas dismissed both Rory Burns and Dom Sibley, with Kyle Abbott, a quad bike of a man, proving equally difficult to play. Ollie Pope, in particular, was lucky to escape multiple lbw shouts, as well as surviving a chance flying between the slips when he had only four. Ryan Patel was athletically swallowed by James Vince, but Pope survived till stumps and with him Surrey’s hopes of parity and beyond.
It was an on-off day at Chelmsford, where two early wickets for a short-sleeved Jimmy Anderson kept Lancashire in good heart. But a third successive 50 from Matthew Critchley alongside some admirable glue by the tail inched Essex to a lead of 12. The pendulum swung when, after the early dismissal of Luke Wells, Keaton Jennings and Josh Bohannon picked their way carefully through till stumps.
Ben Raine and Paul Coughlin collected 101 for the eighth wicket, collecting a third batting point, before Durham declared at The Riverside. Matthew Potts grabbed a couple of wickets in Worcestershire’s reply, including the galloping Ed Pollock.
Elsewhere, rain won the day, with no play at all at Bristol, Grace Road, Edgbaston, Trent Bridge or Northampton. While at Eden Gardens, Harry Brook juggernauted the first century of the 2023 IPL, 100 not out, off 55 balls, for Sunrisers Hyderabad in their victory.
Apologies Simon McMahon, I didn’t spot your email yesterday.
“What with all this rain around in April, it’s a wonder they don’t play cricket in England during the summer months, when of course it never rains. Maybe the county championship should come to Scotland once a year, a bit like when the gridiron comes to London. I’m sure there would be an audience for it, at the Grange in Edinburgh, or Hamilton Crescent in Glasgow, or even Forthill in Dundee, Scotland’s sunniest city. Magic / mental weekend, or some such. I’m up for it, anyway. Guaranteed not to rain*
*it might rain”
More on the Saudi Arabian cricket tournament:
Play abandoned for the day at Grace Road
Another one bites the dust. Heavy rain on day two on an already soft outfield meant that despite the dawn of a dry morning, the outfield was totally soaked and the day’s play was abandoned on 10am.
Start of play scores
DIVISION ONE
Chelmsford: Essex 219 v Lancashire 207 and 82-1
The County Ground: Northants 111-3 v Middlesex 149
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 256 v Somerset 28-2
The Oval: Surrey 153-4 v Hampshire 254
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 367-3 v Kent
DIVISION TWO
Chester-le-Street: Durham 425-9dec v Worcestershire 96-2
Bristol: Gloucestershire v Yorkshire MATCH ABANDONED
Grace Road: Leicestershire 243-2 v Derbyshire
Preamble - match abandoned at Bristol
Hello! It is a dreary kind of morning in south London but anywhere is better than Bristol, where the game between Gloucestershire and Yorkshire has been abandoned without a ball bowled.
A miserable sounding statement from Gloucestershire read: “Due to extremely high amounts of rain in the weeks and days leading up to and during this match, we have an abnormally high water table and had no reasonable prospect of the outfield drying and creating a safe playing surface for players.”
“It’s extremely disappointing,” said the club’s performance director Steve Snell, “especially in view of how hard our ground staff have worked in an effort to get the game started. The weather has been so wet that they faced an impossible task.”
Elsewhere, all the games are running behind the clock, but results look on the cards at Chelmsford and at The Oval, where batting was very hard work yesterday.
Updated
