Several of those on England’s current radar for the near future have been in action in the third round of the County Championship this week – here’s how they all got on.
Subscribe to the Wisden Cricket YouTube channel for post-match analysis, player interviews, and much more.
Dan Lawrence
Following his impressive start to the season with the ball so far, Lawrence scored his maiden century for Surrey against Kent. Surrey bowled Kent out for 244 in the first innings, without requiring Lawrence’s help with the ball, before they posted a mammoth 543-7 in response. Much of that total was down to a 193-run partnership between Lawrence and Dom Sibley, both of whom reached triple figures, as well as contributions lower down the order. Lawrence was finally dismissed for 112 off 143 balls, batting back up the order at No.3, to break the partnership. Surrey went on to seal a crushing victory by an innings and 37 runs.
Ben Foakes
Foakes played a brief cameo batting at No.5 in Surrey’s dominant performance. Coming in after Sibley was dismissed, he hit five fours to reach 24 off 20 balls before he was dismissed by George Garrett caught behind looking to hit across the line. He also picked up three catches and a stumping.
Shoaib Bashir
Having underlined his spin credentials at The Oval last week, Bashir took a single wicket in his seven-over spell against Nottinghamshire in the first innings, that of Joe Clarke – who went on to score a double century when Notts batted again. Batting at No.11 with Craig Overton at the other end on 95, Bashir went for a wild swing and skied the ball to extra-cover, leaving Overton stranded. In the second innings, he was unable to find a breakthrough in a massive unbeaten partnership between Clarke and Will Young, who put on 392 runs between them.
Ollie Robinson (Sussex)
Robinson went wicketless in Gloucestershire’s first innings at Hove but picked up two in the second. Most notably, he snared Cameron Bancroft lbw and James Bracey in the same over to leave Gloucestershire reeling at 26-4. Sussex went on to secure their first win of the season, chasing down 144 on the final day to get over the line.
Matt Potts
Having scored his maiden first-class century last week, Potts scored 22 in the only innings he was required to bat and picked up three wickets in Worcestershire’s first innings. He bowled Brett D’Oliveira for a duck before cleaning up the tail by getting Joe Leach and Adam Finch. In Worcestershire’s second innings, he dismissed Adam Hose and Jason Holder in short succession to assist Durham to a 185-run win.
Joe Root
It was another difficult week back in a Yorkshire shirt for Root. He was dismissed for five in the first innings, caught at slip under grey Lord’s skies before Yorkshire collapsed to 159 all out. Although he managed to break into double-figures in the second innings, he was out for 32 as one of three victims to Toby Roland-Jones.
Click here to buy premium tickets for matches at Headingley this summer.
Harry Brook
After his rapid century in the first match of Yorkshire’s campaign, Brook’s return to professional cricket has been less straightforward. He made a half-century against Gloucestershire last week but was out for two single-figure scores in this round against Middlesex. Yorkshire’s menacing middle-order of Shan Masood, Root and Brook were dismissed within 29 balls in the first innings, Brook driving at a delivery from Ethan Bamber that was caught at second slip. He was dismissed for a golden duck by Ryan Higgins in the second innings.
Zak Crawley
Crawley marked his first outing of this season’s edition of the Championship with two single figure scores at Canterbury. He was dismissed by Dan Worrall caught at third slip for five in the first innings, and was able to contribute only four in the second innings before he nicked off to Foakes behind the stumps.
Other performances of note
Sibley followed up his first century at The Oval since rejoining Surrey with a 150 against Kent, before young prospect Jamie Smith scored a rapid half-century (58 off 55 balls) to set up a declaration. Sam Cook took three wickets in a miserly spell in the first innings of Essex’s win against Lancashire, while Durham’s Ollie Robinson scored his fourth fifty in as many innings this season.