Here’s a look at how England players – those who have played Test cricket since the start of 2021 and/or were part of the squad on the recent tour of the Caribbean – fared in the most recent round of the County Championship.
Craig Overton – Somerset
44 & 13; 4-57 v Hampshire
A strong individual showing for Craig Overton who looks likely to start the Test summer at No.8 for England. He once again showed his ability with both bat and ball, taking another four-wicket haul and also contributing with the bat. Overton is currently the second highest wicket-taker in Division One with 26 wickets at 16.26.
Jack Leach – Somerset
1-26 v Hampshire
A short but chaotic outing for Leach who bowled only five overs in the entire match against Hampshire. He was brought into the attack at 210-6 and saw his first ball hit for six, his second reverse swept for four and his third clipped into the hands of midwicket. Three balls bowled and figures of 1-10. Overall not too much to be read into this outing from Leach who is set to start the home summer as England’s main spinner.
Dan Lawrence – Essex
120 v Lancashire
Lawrence has been leapfrogged by Harry Brook in the England pecking order, but he responded to being left out of the squad for the first New Zealand Test in perfect fashion as he registered a match-defining century against a very strong Lancashire attack featuring James Anderson, Hassan Ali and Matt Parkinson.
James Anderson – Lancashire
1-59 v Essex
A low key outing for the England seamer who took just one wicket during Essex’s innings of 391. From County Championship matches this season, Anderson has 12 wickets at an average of 22.83 and an economy of 1.98.
Matt Parkinson – Lancashire
1-83 v Essex
A quiet outing for Parkinson in an otherwise excellent start to the season. Parkinson is the leading wicket-taker among spinners in Division One.
Zak Crawley – Kent
62 & 84 v Northamptonshire
A welcome return to form for Crawley in a runfest at the County Ground in Northamptonshire. Crawley’s twin fifties were the second and third of his season, and with the match heading for a draw he holed out to the part-time off-spin of Ben Curran in the second innings.
Dom Sibley – Warwickshire
9 & 14 v Yorkshire
A quiet outing for Sibley as Warwickshire hung on for a draw against Yorkshire. Sibley’s last two games had brought 230 runs, but his form didn’t extend to this match with a pair of low scores.
Joe Root – Yorkshire
8 v Warwickshire
A disappointing score for the former England skipper who also sent down eight wicketless overs in Yorkshire’s draw with Warwickshire.
Dom Bess – Yorkshire
1; 0-11 & 0-40
No wickets for Bess whose lean start to the season with the ball continues as he has taken just 12 wickets at an average of 50, albeit with the caveat of playing the holding role. His economy for the season is a miserly 2.40.
Alex Lees – Durham
44 & 1 v Middlesex
The first game this season where Lees hasn’t passed 50 in either innings. Nevertheless it is a minor blip in what has otherwise been an excellent start to the season for the England opener. His average for the year stands at 76.42.
Ben Stokes – Durham
15 & 0; 4-72 v Middlesex
Nothing to show for the England skipper with the bat, but he bowled twenty overs in Middelsex’s first innings where he claimed the wicket of former England opener Mark Stoneman as part of a four-wicket haul.
Haseeb Hameed – Nottinghamshire
15 & 93* v Derbyshire
An excellent game for Hameed who took what could have been a potentially tricky chase of 165 to win and dominated it. His unbeaten 93 coming off just 96 balls followed up his century against Middlesex last week.
Stuart Broad – Nottinghamshire
2-36 & 1-47
A solid if unspectacular outing for Broad in the week he was recalled to the England squad along with James Anderson. Notts boast an intimidating seam attack featuring Broad, Dane Paterson and James Pattinson and the three pronged group took Notts to victory against Derbyshire.
