After another round of the 2025 County Championship season, here’s a look at how England’s Test contenders fared for their respective teams.
Ben Duckett - 9 & 59*
England’s first-choice opener returned to action for Nottinghamshire against Sussex at Trent Bridge at No.3, his regular county home. After falling cheaply to Ollie Robinson in the first innings, Duckett’s blistering 59 not out from 31 deliveries steered the hosts to a comprehensive nine-wicket victory.
Josh Tongue - 5-44 & 1-78
Following an impressive seven wickets against Durham on his Notts debut, including a five-for in the second innings, Tongue again reminded the England selectors of his talents. His haul of 5-44, blowing away the tail, was crucial in setting up Notts charge for victory. Injuries to other quick bowlers such as Olly Stone, Brydon Carse and Mark Wood mean Tongue is in a great position to play the first Test of the summer against Zimbabwe in May.
Ollie Robinson - 4-94
A respectable four-wicket haul, including the key dismissals of Haseeb Hameed and Ben Duckett, helped Sussex restrict the hosts to 300 in their first innings, though a recall remains unlikely.
Tom Banton - 26 & 3
Another two failures for Banton after his mammoth 371 against Worcestershire at the start of the season. The 26-year-old has scored only 40 runs in five innings since that triple century at Taunton.
Jack Leach - 1-46
A decent return for England’s most experienced spinner, despite Somerset’s heavy defeat at The Oval. His dismissal of the in-form Dom Sibley for 53 was the highlight of 15 steady overs.
Ollie Pope - 1 & 1
A poor return for England’s vice-captain, who was bowled by Lewis Gregory in the first innings and trapped lbw by Josh Davey looking for quick runs in a very small chase. Pope is averaging 32.85 for the season, and may have Jacob Bethell’s IPL stint to thank for him to keep his place at No.3 for the Zimbabwe Test.
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Jamie Smith - 58 & 12*
Smith’s half-century from No.4 was vital in giving the hosts a decisive 84-run first innings lead. He then clubbed an unbeaten 12 to seal Surrey’s first victory of the season.
Dan Lawrence - 55*, 1-15 & 1-9
Another impressive all-round display by Lawrence, despite bowling only nine overs across the game. He hit a sparky 55 not out in Surrey’s first innings of 367, before taking the crucial wicket of opener Tom Lammonby as Somerset were bowled out for 119 in the third innings.
Gus Atkinson - 2-73 & 0-36
This was a quiet game for Atkinson in his second County Championship outing of the season. He will, however, be buoyed by his dismissals of Archie Vaughan and James Rew. Atkinson will be bidding to build on his fine introduction to Tests this summer, having taken 52 wickets at an average of 22 in 11 matches to date.
Ben McKinney - 24 & 34
After falling for an aggressive 24 in the first innings, McKinney again fell when set just shy of clinching Durham’s first win of the season. While his selection as opener this summer is unlikely, the left-hander is earmarked as one for the future.
Ollie Robinson - 0 & 22*
An unbeaten 22 might not look like much, but it sealed victory in a low-scorer and marked Robinson’s top score of a tough season so far.
Rehan Ahmed - 6 & 0
After a hundred opening the batting against Lancashire last week, Rehan’s move down a spot to No.3 brought only six runs, while he continues to be surplus to requirements with the ball.
Josh Hull - 1-60 & 2-37
Despite going at over five runs per over across the game, Hull showed glimpses of why he was selected against Sri Lanka as an inexperienced 19-year-old last summer. The towering left-armer trapped Australia all-rounder Cameron Green lbw for just four in the first innings, before picking up two lower-order batters in the second.
