In between Ashes Tests, a full round of the County Championship has taken place, with several England players outside of the current XI in action.
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With the Kookaburra ball being used for the last two rounds, performances will have been particularly of note ahead of England’s 2025/26 Ashes tour of Australia. And with England’s No.3 slot not nailed down and a potential decider at the Kia Oval to come, there could be more recent consequences of any stand-out showings too.
Here’s how those potentially on England’s radar fared.
Alex Lees
195 & 22
Alex Lees continued his Bazballification as Durham cruised to an impressive win over Gloucestershire. He made 195 off 229 in the first innings and 22 off 23 in the second as Durham gunned down a small total on the third evening. Should England need a batter outside of the squad, Lees will be near the head of the queue.
Matthew Potts
2-69 & 4-55
If Lees is top of the batting queue, Matthew Potts must be similarly rated for seam bowling. He did little wrong in his first stint in Test cricket, only for more established options to return to fitness and edge him down the pecking order. He claimed six wickets against Gloucestershire, including bowling all of the top three, and then nicking off No.5 to leave them 24-4 in his second-innings opening spell.
Matt Parkinson
3-59 & 2-34
Matt Parkinson’s slide from England Test cricketer to searching for a county game has been alarming, but he showed glimpses of what he’s about for Durham, including a sharp-turning leg-break to take out off-stump on day one.
Dan Lawrence
1 & 135
England still need a No.3, and Dan Lawrence is in the squad. He did his case no harm with a century at better than a run a ball in the second innings, having come in in the second over without a run on the board. His runs gave Essex just enough time to secure victory over Lancashire with 10 balls to spare.
Keaton Jennings
29 & 30
An injury at the wrong time set Keaton Jennings back after a strong start to the season. He had a quiet round, getting starts in both innings without kicking on.
Ben Foakes
46 & 25
Snubbed again as England stuck with Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes was unable to take full advantage of an injury-depleted Notts attack. He did provide evidence of his wicketkeeping prowess with a classy piece of work standing up to the stumps.
Will Jacks
35 & 60, 2-57 & 1-30
Ninety-five runs and three wickets in the game for Will Jacks as Surrey’s clash with Notts petered out to a draw.
Jamie Overton
30* & 12, 2-73 & 0-5
Having impressed with bat and ball on Test debut last year, Jamie Overton has been sidelined in first-class cricket throughout 2023. So although two wickets and 42 runs looks a modest return, this was an encouraging showing.
Liam Dawson
8 & 68*, 4-118
Liam Dawson hasn’t been in an England Test squad recently, but should they need a stop-gap finger-spinning all-rounder, they could do a lot worse. He added another four-for against Somerset, and then crafted an unbeaten 68 to see Hampshire to a draw in the follow-on.
