August 30, 2024

Liam Dawson’s All-Round Brilliance Spins Lancashire into Trouble

Four Wickets Put Hampshire on Track for Big Lead in Vitality County Championship

Lancashire 193 for 8 (Jennings 56, Dawson 4-46) trail Hampshire 389 (Middleton 109, Dawson 104*, Gubbins 75, Wells 4-94) by 196 runs.

Liam Dawson’s all-round brilliance has placed Hampshire in a commanding position after two days of their Vitality County Championship match against Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford. After scoring an unbeaten 104, his second century of the season, and adding 71 crucial runs for the last wicket with Mohammad Abbas, Dawson then bowled 28 consecutive overs, taking four wickets for 46 runs.

Lancashire’s bowlers started the day with frustration as Dawson and Abbas extended their partnership, adding 59 more runs in the first 75 minutes. Dawson reached his century off 125 balls, striking eight fours and five sixes. Abbas, after a slow but determined 32-ball stand, was eventually caught at backward point, leaving Dawson not out on 104.

Lancashire’s reply began shakily, with Luke Wells being bowled by Kyle Abbott for just six before lunch. However, Keaton Jennings and Josh Bohannon steadied the innings with a 90-run partnership for the second wicket. Jennings was eventually trapped leg before wicket by Dawson for 56, leaving Lancashire trailing by 196 runs.

Four overs later, the slow left-armer struck again when Rocky Flintoff attempted to slog across the line but ended up skying a catch to substitute fielder Felix Organ at midwicket, departing for a ten-ball duck. Lancashire went into tea at 108 for three, but their situation worsened quickly after the break. In the second over of the evening session, Matt Hurst became Dawson’s third victim, caught off an inside edge and pad by Fletcha Middleton for just four.

In the next over, Josh Bohannon, who had battled for 43 runs in 167 minutes, chipped a straightforward catch to Tom Prest at short midwicket off John Turner’s bowling. Turner struck again in his next over when George Balderson was caught at second slip by Toby Albert, who made a fine diving catch.

Bell and Iyer managed to stem the collapse with a 48-run partnership, but James Fuller ended Iyer’s resistance with a sharp diving catch at cover off Kyle Abbott’s bowling, dismissing him for 27. Tom Hartley then became Dawson’s fourth wicket, holing out to James Vince at mid-off for two. Despite the collapse, George Bell remained unbeaten on 33 at the end of the day, showing excellent judgement and shot selection, setting an example for his teammates.

Michael Pepper’s First Century Keeps Essex on Track for Victory

Westley scores 68 as Essex gain valuable first-innings lead at Chelmsford

Worcestershire 266 (D’Oliveira 68, Taylor 62*, Porter 5-52) and 2 for 0 trail Essex 404 (Pepper 112*, Westley 68) by 136 runs

Michael Pepper scored his maiden first-class century, adding to his two T20 Blast hundreds this season, to put Essex in a strong position against Worcestershire in their Vitality County Championship match. The 26-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, who had only surpassed fifty once this summer, turned the game in Essex’s favor with an unbeaten 112 from 125 balls. His previous best red-ball score of 92 was three years ago at Durham.

Pepper was joined by Shane Snater (53) at 227 for 7, and together they added a crucial 136 runs in just 26 overs, not only surpassing Worcestershire’s 266 but also establishing a 138-run first-innings lead. Tom Westley contributed 68 from 126 balls, laying the groundwork before falling as the first of Amar Virdi’s three wickets for 126 in a lengthy 37.4-over spell. Ethan Brookes also claimed three wickets, but Worcestershire managed to reduce the deficit by two runs without losing a wicket in the five evening overs.

Before Essex took control of the game, Worcestershire’s Ethan Brookes unexpectedly broke their steady second-wicket partnership, which had added 65 runs in just 13 overs after the early loss of Dean Elgar. Brookes, who had never taken a first-class wicket before, struck by uprooting Robin Das’s middle stump with a burst of extra pace, celebrating with a jubilant leap.

The 23-year-old seamer quickly claimed his second wicket when Jordan Cox, freshly released by England to play for Essex, showed uncharacteristic aggression in his 21-ball innings, only to drive a catch to short midwicket. Just before lunch, Worcestershire skipper Brett D’Oliveira brought himself on to bowl and trapped Matt Critchley lbw with his third delivery.

Essex captain Tom Westley combined caution with occasional aggression, reaching his fifty from 95 balls. Early in his innings, he hit three fours in an over off Tom Taylor, but added only two more boundaries to reach his fourth half-century of the season. Westley had put on 55 with Paul Walter when he edged a delivery from Amar Virdi to the wicketkeeper. Shortly after, Walter was dismissed for a forceful knock, slashing Logan van Beek to slip after hitting him over extra cover for his fifth four.

Brookes returned for another brief spell, dismissing Simon Harmer down the leg side for his third wicket in just his seventh over. The bulk of the bowling, however, was handled by Virdi and van Beek, who bowled nearly 60 of the 107.4 overs Essex faced.

Essex surpassed Worcestershire’s first-innings total of 266 soon after taking the new ball, with Michael Pepper and Shane Snater accelerating the scoring. They reached their first fifty partnership in 12 overs, adding another fifty in just 11 more. At one point, they needed only six overs to move from 300 to 350.

Pepper, known for his 360-degree shot-making in shorter formats, played mostly orthodox strokes between extra cover and cover point but did showcase one audacious shot, chopping Joe Leach over slip’s head for a boundary. Snater reached his fifty from 73 balls with consecutive fours off van Beek but was dismissed on the next delivery.

Pepper completed his century with a quick two off Brookes, bringing up his hundred in 116 balls. He followed this milestone with 10 runs from the next three deliveries, including a towering six over midwicket. Jamie Porter provided some support before becoming Virdi’s third victim, but not before Pepper had secured Essex’s commanding position.