Day two of the second round of the 2024 County Championship saw runs flow for several counties as well as Shoaib Bashir into the action. Here’s a full round-up of the main stories of the day.
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Dom Sibley scores first hundred since Surrey return
Following their unbroken stand in the evening session at The Oval yesterday (April 12), Rory Burns and Dom Sibley both piled on the runs in the morning of day two. They reached lunch on 155-0 trailing Somerset by 130 after a dramatic collapse yesterday saw the visitors lose eight wickets for 40 runs. After lunch Sibley and Burns continued, reaching 167-0 before Shoaib Bashir had the latter caught behind. Sibley, however, carried on to reach three figures – his first at The Oval first since returning to Surrey after leaving the county in 2017. He was, however, bowled by Lewis Goldsworthy seven balls after reaching his century, toe-edging a ball onto his front boot before it rolled onto the stumps.
Shoaib Bashir breaks big opening partnership
Having been left out of Somerset’s opening fixture against Kent last week, Bashir was back in at The Oval. On a flat batting tack, Bashir put together a miserly spell where he mixed up his pace and bowled tidily to the two set Surrey openers. He was finally rewarded for his perseverance when he got Burns attempting to cut a quicker ball into the off side, but top edged it to James Rew standing up behind the stumps. It was Bashir’s 11th Championship wicket, having taken ten last season before earning his England Test call-up.
Run records tumble at Edgbaston
After Warwickshire opening pair Rob Yates and Alex Davies both registered big hundreds yesterday against Durham, Davies continued on in the morning. He was final dismissed for 256 after registering a 219-run partnership with Will Rhodes to go with his 343-run stand with Yates yesterday. Rhodes also registered a century and was unbeaten on 178 when Warwickshire declared. Dan Mousley came in at five to register 55 not out off 53 balls. Warwickshire declared on 698-3, their second-highest ever score in the County Championship after 810-4 declared in 1994.
Emilio Gay doubles up for career-best
Davies’ double wasn’t the highest score of the round. Emilio Gay reached his first first-class double-century for Northants against Middlesex, with James Sales also scoring a hundred. Gay was run out by Max Holden on 261 attempting to come back for the second but caught short. Northants declared on 552-6.
