Mahmood returns with England reminder as Hameed hits ton
James Wallace
On a day when all the talk at county grounds was of someone who was not even playing, Jimmy Anderson’s Lancashire teammate Saqib Mahmood returned after 12 months on the sidelines, to begin to make the case that he could step into the Anderson-shaped hole in the England side.
Mahmood, whose absence was caused by a stress fracture, looked lean and dangerous as he made his first bowling steps of the season and did not have to wait long for his first wicket of the campaign, Nottinghamshire’s Ben Slater poking at a length ball outside off stump and seeing an edge fly into the safe hands of George Bell at third slip.
The lissom-limbed George Balderson then popped up to take three further wickets as the visitors set about protecting their first-innings score of 331. Haseeb Hameed proved a thorn in the side, making 137 runs off 246 balls against his former county to keep things simmering at Trent Bridge.
On a soporific south coast, Hampshire made Durham toil. Tom Prest scoring his second first‑class century as his side made 503. Alex Lees and David Bedingham set about hauling the target in, Lees departed lbw to a scudding Liam Dawson delivery but Bedingham ended unbeaten on 35, with the nightwatcher Matthew Potts for company.
There was even more hard yakka for Kent at Canterbury. Jason Holder and Matthew Waite racking up centuries as Worcestershire posted a nosebleed-inducing 618 for seven declared. Holder went to his ton with a flurry of sixes, on reaching the milestone he poignantly tapped the badge by his heart bearing the number 33, that of his former teammate Josh Baker. Holder then raised his bat to his teammates in what looks to be his final innings for the club during this stint. In response, Zak Crawley fell for a scratchy six runs, under edging a leg-side ball from Joe Leach that was well pouched by the wicketkeeper, Gareth Roderick. Kent ending the day on 111 or two, a whopping 507 runs adrift.
Surrey’s engine room purred at the Oval. Jamie Smith stroked Warwickshire’s bowlers around south London to finish unbeaten on 98, his side 16 runs behind but with four wickets in hand.
In Division Two, Sussex’s Jayden Seales picked up three wickets in the morning session, the West Indian bowling Glamorgan’s Billy Root with a fizzing delivery that jagged back to hit the top of the stumps and send the bails skywards like a pair of quizzical eyebrows. The Welsh side battled back and then dominated. From 41 for four they closed on 411 for nine with a handsome 133-run lead thanks to centuries from Kiran Carlson and Colin Ingram.
Marchant de Lange picked up five for 42 to scatter Northamptonshire for 171 at Wantage Road. Cameron Bancroft and Ben Charlesworth cantered to 77 without loss at the close, meaning Gloucestershire are 315 runs to the good.
I’ll leave the blog open for a while as the final subbed report will land in a short while. That’s me done though, thanks for your company and comments on a day when the sun began to set on one of England’s all time greats. Tanya will be back tomorrow, do join her for day three. Goodnight!
M’colleague Taha Hashim has been at Trent Bridge today and has just filed this piece that has some nice reaction from Lancashire fans on Jimmy’s impending departure:
I’m going to leave you for a bit to try and get my thoughts together for the write up for t’paper. Do keep chatting away. Marchant de Lange has just taken five wickets to leave Northants reeling on 162-9.
Ben Foakes is into his work at The Oval, he caresses a four and brings up Surrey’s 200. They trail by 163 runs and still have that gun middle order waiting in the sheds. Warwickshire will do well to keep them to near parity from here.
Liam Dawson has just darted one into Colin Ackermann’s pad and the Durham batter is sent on his way, it looked to be knocking out leg stump. David Bedingham and Alex Lees are at the crease with the deficit a towering 435 runs.
Poor Kent, a day and a half of hard yakka in the sun and they find themselves slip-sliding to 16-2. Zak Crawley looked scratchy for six runs, eventually under-edging a ball from Joe Leach that is extremely well pouched by Gareth Roderick. Jack Leaning and Daniel Bell-Drummond are currently manning the bail out…
Forgive the self plugging of sorts – the magnificent writer and all round bon oeuf Jon Hotten and I have started a substack to house some of our more esoteric or self involved ramblings. It’s suitably pretentious title is Arrangements of White on Green.
Jon’s just published this piece about writing about James Vince… and not writing about James Anderson, give it a whirl why don’t you?
I’ll post the tea time-ish scores in a moment – but it is bad news for Surrey fans – Ollie Pope is out, Craig Miles doing the business for Warwickshire after picking up Dom Sibley too.
Scott Borthwick and Alex Lees are trucking well for Durham, no alarms and no surprises so far (JINX…) just as I type that Borthwick is cleaned up by Felix Organ! The Northeasteners 45-1 at tea.
Kiran Carlson has gone to a century and joined Colin Ingram in Glamorgan’s hundred club today, the welsh side trail by just seven runs now and will look to forge a big first innings lead.
It is a century for Matthew Waite too! And a declaration. They’ll take tea at Canterbury so Kent can fuel up for their response to Worcestershire’s mammoth score.
These two 😍
An unbeaten 225 run partnership from 226 balls and that's the declaration 👊
Gah. Tom Hartley is brought on at Trent Bridge to whirl away for Lancs, Nathan Lyon is not playing this game as his workload is being ‘managed’. Hartley’s first over includes some ropey deliveries – a full bunger, a half tracker and ten runs pilfered off it.
Trouble at mill for Northants, they’ve slipped to 121-5 against Glos. De Lange has a brace and the other bowlers have shared one apiece, the deficit still stands at 288 runs.
Jason Holder brings up his century! He punches the air and then in a moment of poignancy he pats the Josh Baker badge on his shirt and waves to his teammates.
Matthew Waite at the other end needs another 18 runs to get to three figures, Worcs piling them on at Canterbury – 603-7 and counting…
Hampshire finally succumb for an imposing 503. A weary Peter Siddle picking up the final wicket for Durham, over to the batters to make some hay and the bowlers to ice their blisters.
100 for Colin Ingram! A fine knock to get Glamorgan out of a hole and into a commanding position in the match. That’s his third ton of the summer so far too. The home side trail by just 45 runs now and have six wickets in the hutch.
Jason Holder is using those long levers to help himself to a handful of sixes as Worcs pass the 500 mark against a beleaguered looking Kent. Holder is into the 80s…
Tanya is having a well deserved day off today before tagging back in tomorrow. She’s still been busy though, penning this lovely piece on Jimmy’s eternal summer(s).
Jason Holder and Haseeb Hameed have each gone to fifty for Worcs and Notts respectively. Now then, Hameed can only watch on helplessly as George Balderson pops up to take two quick wickets for Lancashire, the lissom limbed seamer finding the edge of both Joe Clarke and Tom Moores, the nicks safely snaffled by keeper Matt Hurst.
Rory Burns has perished at a soporific Oval, slapping a Will Rhodes half tracker straight into the mitts of Barnard at backward point. The Surrey skipper is not happy with himself as he hauls himself from the middle.
Hampshire march towards 500 in Southampton – Ben Brown has has just tickled his way to 50 off 95 balls.
Kiran Carlson and Colin Ingram have both raised their bat too as Glamorgan look to rebuild after Seales’ demolition job for Sussex earlier on.
Afternoon sun is bathing the grounds up and down the land, leather is plocking on to willow and I for one and going to get myself a 99 with a flake at some point in the next few hours. Just try and stop me.
OBO OG Rob Smyth is over on the international tools as England and Pakistan duke it out at a sun bathed Edgbaston. Ok ok, you’re allowed to go and have a look but come back quickly – or else I’ll sulk…
Marchant de Lange had the punters scrabbling for their seats post lunch as he took two in two to find himself on a hat-trick! The amply moustachioed bowler picked up Vasconcelos and Karun Nair but couldn’t get the third to seal the deal – new batter George Bartlett spoiling the party.
I went to Jimmy’s third test 21 years ago and saw him get carted around Edgbaston on day one by Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs. In the car home I turned to my dad and brothers and said: we will remember this, and tweet about it, when he retires in 2024 with 700 Test wickets.
Plenty of Jimmy chat BTL. particularly enjoyed this ditty:
“He is the very model of a modern Jimmy Anderson,
In wicket taking bursts he is something quite phenomenal,
He knows the bats of England, and can lead attacks historical,
From Toilet Bowl to Manchester, in order categorical;
He’s well acquainted too with matters ump reviewable,
He understands his bowling, keeps it simple, economical,
Over thousand wickets, he must be teeming with a lot o’ news,
Will be commentating soon and reading all those early wicket runes!”
Time for a quick sarnie and a leg stretch, you’ll keep an eye on things for me, won’t you?
Northants 56-1 v Gloucestershire 409 – debutantSiddarth Kaul has pocketed a five wicket haul in his first outing for Northants but the visitors have a handy total of 409 to protect. Emilio Gay fell for a golden duck before lunch to set up an intriguing afternoon session.
Glamorgan 136-4 v Sussex 278 – The home side are recovering after being on the end of some Jayden Seales treatment this morning. At one point reeling on 41-4, Colin Ingram and Kiran Carlson have set about steadying the ship at Sophia Gardens.
Surrey 65-0 v Warwickshire 343 – Messrs Burns and Sibley are doing their thing at the top of the order for the South Londoners, they’ve headed for a cucumber sandwich and slice of Viennetta sitting pretty as they respond to Warks not too shabby 343.
Nottinghamshire 64-2 v Lancashire 331 Saqib Mahmood took his first wicket of the summer and looked in good fettle from his few overs after returning from injury. Notts have lost two early wickets with Has Hameed 28* off 71 balls and Joe Clarke just arriving at the crease on a hot streak of form.
Kent v Worcestershire 424-7 – Joey Evison and Matt Parkinson are in the wickets with three apiece. Adam Hose fell ten short of a century and the visitors added 116 runs for the cost of two more wickets in the morning session.
Hampshire 420-6 v Durham – Tom Prest has gone to his second first class century, its been slow going on the south coast thought with only 84 runs scored in 31 overs. The Durham bowling attack putting the skids on.
That’s lunch. A tour around the grounds incoming. Apologies for the delay – had a minor domestic emergency involving two sets of missing car keys coupled with a toddler throwing soil around the house. My three year old has obviously taken the news about Jimmy very badly…
And the international summer gets underway this afternoon at Edgbaston as Heather Knight’s England take on Pakistan – and it’s on terrestrial tv too. Not that you’ll be diverting from the County blog mind…
By the end he could do things with a ball that made the old bowlers whistle. Which is how his career will be remembered. He was the hardest-working bowler in the business, and the most skilful, a master of the old English tricks of swing, seam and cut. Sometime this summer, he will be asked if his record will ever be beaten, same as they did Trueman back in 1964. The honest answer, if he gives it, is probably not. They play fewer Tests these days and the Twenty20 circuit means the players have too many other temptations. Anderson’s fast-bowling records will stand like Muralitharan’s, and Don Bradman’s, for as long as the game is played. There’ll never be another.”
Jimmy Anderson has announced he will retire from Test cricket after the first Test at Lord's against The West Indies this summer ⚠ pic.twitter.com/4TTad3Kdc2
Jimmy wanted to speak to Tailenders listeners first about his retirement so we’ve got an emergency podcast coming out this afternoon. Go well and get ready for an extremely emotional week at Lord’s x pic.twitter.com/jTKcWDtpv2
Plenty of eyes on Saqib Mahmood who is having his first bowl in the county champo this summer. He’s had a terrible time with back injuries but is still thought of as a real prospect to fill the impending Anderson shaped hole for England. He’s got three slips and a gully in place…
Billy Root has had his furniture rearranged by the impressive Jayden Seales – he goes for just 5 to leave Glamorgan on 25-2 in response to Sussex’s 278.
Elsewhere – Glos have gone past 350 with a Marchant de Lange swipe for six. Northants will want to prise out the last couple of wickets sharpish and get out there with the bat.
At the Oval, Ed Barnard has notched up his sixth first-class century and his first for Warwickshire. His side were in trouble at 167-6 for yesterday afternoon but are now well placed at 343-9 on a green tinged pitch.
But this was not a day for such crassly pointed details. This was a day designed to wash over you as a background to your life choices; to exist - as might have been the case when time itself was first corralled at the height of the Industrial Revolution - only as confirmation that this is your moment of leisure, and it’s yours to tailor as you please.
Watch the cricket, or don’t watch the cricket - it’ll still be there if you ever look up to check the score. Do the crossword, go for a stroll. Pat a dog, eat an ice cream. Loll on the grass banks while marvelling up at the pointlessness of the floodlights, which on a day like this seem as oblique and immutable as the Easter Island statues.”
Last year, asked yet again about his potential retirement, Anderson said: “I feel privileged to have got in a position where I can make a decision because, as a bowler, it is usually taken out of your hands. It will be nice to go out on my own terms.” There are not many things that Anderson has looked incapable of, but perhaps making that decision was one. Now his choice of final moments has narrowed, but an August date with Sri Lanka and Old Trafford’s Anderson End seems a romantic choice. He was the 613th man to play Test cricket for England, and the next to make his debut will be the 713th. His was a hell of a century.”
At Canterbury, Worcestershire, playing for the first time since the death of their young spinning all-rounder Josh Baker, lined up on the boundary edge alongside their opponents, Kent, before play for a minute’s applause in memory of the 20-year-old.
On a beautiful day, with the ice-cream van happily doling out cones, Gareth Roderick completed back-to-back centuries, gently tapping the embroidered 33 (Baker’s number) on his shirt with his bat, as he did so. Kashif Ali made 72 as Worcestershire ended an emotional day on 308-5.
Lancashire’s Keaton Jennings was furious with himself after top-edging to slip on 91 at Trent Bridge, while Tom Bruce collected his first half century in what has been a tough early summer, a rock-about innings containing ten fours and one six.
Nottinghamshire’s Dillon Pennington spoilt the visitors’ day with three quick wickets towards the end. Jimmy Anderson who, it was revealed, will step away from Test cricket at the end of this summer, was watching from the sidelines.
After a slow start to his Hampshire career since moving from Sussex this winter, Ali Orr made his first century for his new side. His steady 126 was brought to an end by Peter Siddle, pulling on county cap number five, this time running in for Durham. Callum Parkinson took three wickets and Tom Prest bish-bashed 65.
Surrey’s Jordan Clark kept tabs on Warwickshire on a queasy-green Oval pitch, with four for fifty, but Ed Barnard stitched together a lower-order recovery, 96 not out at stumps.
Division Two leaders Sussex were picked apart by Glamorgan’s James Harris (4 for 93) and Mir Hamza (4 for 70), though some clever accumulation by the tail added 138 from the depths of 140 for seven.
Siddharth Kaul, the Indian seamer called up for three Championship matches with Northants, picked away at Gloucestershire, but Miles Hammond steadied nerves with 112, reaching his first ton for two years with a six.
Hello and welcome to day two of round six of the County Championship. We’ll get into the county stuff shortly, of course, but there’s only one story on everyone’s lips this morning – the imminent departure of James Anderson from Test cricket. By imminent I mean at some point this English summer. Our man Ali Martin broke the story yesterday:
Jimmy Anderson is set to bring the curtain down on his record-breaking England career this summer after face-to-face talks with the head coach, Brendon McCullum.
The Guardian understands McCullum recently made a whistle-stop five-day visit to the UK, travelling 11,000 miles from his home in New Zealand to meet Anderson and tell him in person, over a round of golf, that the Test team is looking to the future.
This primarily means building a seam attack for the next Ashes series in the winter of 2025-26, by which time Anderson will be 43. England play six Tests against West Indies and Sri Lanka this summer, including one against the latter on Anderson’s home ground, Old Trafford, in late August – and that will likely be it.”
Taha Hashim is currently on the rattler to Trent Bridge where Lancashire are in action against Nottinghamshire, he’ll be sending us insightful updates and reactions as he sniffs them out. I’m manning the tools today in place of Tanya, please do get involved below the line and email any thoughts and theories throughout the day.
The sun is shining here in south London and just beginning to set on one of the greats of English cricket.
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