Yas Rana picks out Wisden’s team of the week from round four of the Bob Willis Trophy, a combined XI from the nine games that took place.
Sir Alastair Cook (Essex)
129*
In one of the most rain-affected games of the round – only 78 overs were bowled over the course of the four days – Sir Alastair Cook, 35, rolled back the years by registering a 66th first-class hundred and passed 24,000 career first-class runs in the process. The rain deprived Essex from notching maximum batting bonus points and from gaining any bowling bonus points at all. With a round to play, that may prove costly. They still sit top of the South Group with 70 points but as it stands, Somerset and Derbyshire would contest the final; Somerset are top of the Central Group with 76 points, Derbyshire lead the North Group on 71 points.
Will Rhodes (Warwickshire)
207, 1-27 & 42*
The Warwickshire captain scored 249 runs across his side’s match against Worcestershire at New Road, notching his sixth first-class hundred for the county since joining them in 2018. Wet weather meant that this game was another that came nowhere near to a result. Worcestershire play Somerset in their final round robin fixture – a win would put them top of the Central Group and give them a chance of qualifying for the final at Lord’s.
Luis Reece (Derbyshire)
122 & 2-60
The man who opens the batting and bowling for Derbyshire slots in at No. 3 in this team. A first hundred of the season helped Derbyshire pick up four batting bonus points, a tally that took them above Essex as the team in the country with the second-most points overall.
Charlie Thurston (Northamptonshire)
115 & 64
A remarkable performance from Charlie Thurston helped Northants secure their first win of the season. A first-innings century gave Northants a healthy first-innings lead before a half-century second time round ensured that Northants chased down 189 with ease against Glamorgan.
George Bartlett (Somerset)
100*
George Bartlett, a 22-year-old former England Under 19s batsman, was one of three unbeaten Somerset centurions in the game, but his ton was the most important. His fluent hundred from No. 5 was the only Somerset first-innings individual score over 35 as they posted 237.
Callum Taylor (Glamorgan)
106 & 0
One of two extraordinary hundreds hit by Glamorgan batsmen in a losing cause against Northants. Callum Taylor, a 22-year-old on the first-class debut, put on 124 for the last wicket with Michael Hogan to propel Glamorgan to a first-innings total of 259 after having found themselves 135-9. Taylor’s 106 came off just 94 balls.
Ben Foakes (Surrey)
118 & 57
In his first game back for Surrey after spending the last few months with England, Foakes’ return to action was an emphatic one, albeit in a losing cause. After 11 months out of first-class cricket, he scored 118 in a first innings that saw no other Surrey batsman pass 30. In the second, he very nearly carried Surrey to victory, again with minimal support from his teammates. He was the ninth Surrey man to go, strangled down the leg-side on 57 with Surrey still needing another 28 runs to win. Kent eventually sealed victory by 17 runs.
Matt Critchley (Derbyshire)
4-53 & 46*
The leg-spinning all-rounder tipped to play for England by Stuart MacGill continued his impressive season with positive contributions with both bat and bowl in Derbyshire’s draw against Durham. He currently averages over 50 with the bat and less than 25 with the ball in 2020.
Craig Overton (Somerset)
32, 4-25 & 5-26
Craig Overton’s quite frankly absurd Bob Willis Trophy campaign continued as Somerset bowled Gloucestershire out for less than 80 in both innings at Taunton. Overton, who has played four Tests for England, has taken 23 wickets at 9.56 so far this summer.
Marchant de Lange (Glamorgan)
4-84, 113, & 0-31
It’s not often that No. 10s get picked predominately for their batting, but that’s the case with de Lange in this team. As well as his four-wicket haul, de Lange, coming in with the score 60-8 in Glamorgan’s second innings, scored the fastest hundred in his county’s first-class history from No. 10. An extraordinary innings, though ultimately in vain.
Tim Murtagh (Middlesex)
2-41 & 5-34
After conceding a 90-run first-innings deficit, Murtagh’s 5-34 helped swing the contest back in Middlesex’s favour. His five-for, ably supported by Miguel Cummins and Martin Andersson who shared the other five wickets, skittled Sussex out for just 102. Middlesex chased down their target of 193 with five wickets in hand.
