Kasey Aldridge sparked a dramatic collapse in the opening game of Somerset’s 2025 County Championship campaign, taking five wickets in five overs as Worcestershire slid from 102-1 to 154 all out.
Aldridge, who has toured with England Lions in each of the last two winters, dismissed five of Worcestershire’s top six, bowling Kashif Ali, Adam Hose and captain Brett D’Oliveira, while the other two, Gareth Roderick, Worcs’ only half-centurion, and Ethan Brookes were caught by Craig Overton.
Overton then chipped in with the ball, finishing with 3-24. Matthew Waite provided the sole act of lower-order resistance, making an unbeaten 32 at close to a run a ball.
Somerset looked like squandering their advantage when they slid to 39-3, but rebounded through Tom Abell and an aggressive innings from Tom Banton to pass three figures without further loss.
Aldridge’s was his fourth five-for in first-class cricket, with a best of 6-110. He has 69 wickets at 36.48 to go with one century and a batting average of 26.75. He has made two appearances in Lions tour games, against India A in early 2024 and a Cricket South Africa XI in early 2025. A tall right-armer, Aldridge made his Somerset debut in both List A and first-class cricket in the 2021 summer, and he has become an increasingly regular member of the side.
His spell continued a happy habit of making a strong start to the season. He claimed five wickets in Somerset’s second game of the season in 2024, at The Oval against eventual champions Surrey. Notably, that came armed with the Kookaburra ball.
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