James Anderson starred as Lancashire got off to a strong start against Somerset on a rain-affected first day of their LV= Insurance County Championship Division One clash at Emirates Old Trafford.
Anderson, playing his fourth consecutive four-day game for the Red Rose and his final match before the sole Test against Ireland, gave notice of his readiness for England duty with a brilliant eight-over opening spell during which he bowled five maidens, was hit for five runs and claimed the wickets of Steven Davies and Tom Abell.
Although Somerset had recovered from 12 for three to 109 for four by the time torrential rain ended play for the day, it was Anderson’s spell that will have England supporters hoping for brighter days with the Ashes beginning in just over a month.
Chris Rushworth continued his stunning start to his Warwickshire career with another four wickets as Essex’s batting imploded on a rain-affected opening day at Edgbaston.
Former Durham seamer Rushworth went into this game, his fifth for Warwickshire, with 22 wickets at 15.27 apiece and enhanced those figures further with four for 28 as Essex folded to 126 all out.
Rushworth delivered a triple-wicket maiden in the last over before tea to reduce Essex from a relatively healthy 76 for two to 76 for five. Olly Hannon-Dalby followed up in the final session with four for 21, taking him past 450 wickets in all formats.
Warwickshire then encountered turbulence of their own as they reached 17 for two at the close of a day which provided abundant drama and entertainment despite play not starting until 3pm due to rain.
James Fuller took five for 21 as Hampshire dominated the first day of their match with Kent at Canterbury.
Kyle Abbott also starred for the visitors, claiming three for 23, as they skittled Kent for just 95 before reaching 89 without loss at stumps.
Dan Worrall’s five-wicket haul helped Surrey claim the honours on day one of their match with local rivals Middlesex after the visitors collapsed to 209 all out.
A 152-run second wicket stand between Sam Robson and Pieter Malan, who both hit half-centuries, put the visitors in a position of control but they lost nine wickets for 43 runs after lunch. The hosts reached 21 without loss in reply.
Ricardo Vasconcelos and Saif Zaib shared a 50 partnership as hosts Northamptonshire reached 86 for two against Nottinghamshire before rain ended proceedings early.
In Division Two, Durham’s Matthew Potts continued his impressive campaign by taking four wickets to help bowl out Yorkshire for 254 at Chester-le-Street.
Captain Shan Masood, making his Yorkshire debut, Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow failed to capitalise on starts, with Potts (four for 49) thriving. The hosts reached 42 for two in reply.
Michael Neser further stated his case for Australian selection this summer with a hugely impressive four-wicket haul for Glamorgan against visitors Worcestershire.
Neser, in partnership with Timm van der Gugten, ripped through the Worcestershire top order before James Harris claimed four wickets of his own as the visitors were bowled out for 109.
The Glamorgan top order also found batting challenging on a day where it swung and seamed throughout, moving to 177 for six with captain David Lloyd (48) leading the effort.
There was no action on day one of the second game of Australia batter Steve Smith’s three-match stint at Sussex. A wet outfield at Leicestershire did not help his preparations for his country’s World Test Championship final against India at the Oval on June 7 and the Ashes versus England, starting on June 16.
Rain meant the opening day of Derbyshire’s clash with visiting Gloucestershire was also washed out.
Nottingham Forest’s response to VAR controversy ‘too emotional’ – Stuart Broad
Former England bowler Stuart Broad has criticised Nottingham Forest’s response to the VAR controversy at Sunday’s Premier League match against Everton as “slightly too emotional”.
Broad, the second-highest England Test wicket-taker, was made a CBE for services to cricket during a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, and is a long-time fan of the football club.
Following Forest’s 2-0 loss at Everton, the club risked Football Association and Premier League sanction over their extraordinary response to three rejected penalty appeals.
In a statement on Sunday, the club said there had been “three extremely poor decisions – three penalties not given – which we simply cannot accept”, adding: “We warned the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game, but they didn’t change him.”
On Tuesday, it was announced that the club would be given the opportunity to privately hear the VAR audio connected to the three penalty claims.
When asked about his thoughts on the VAR incident, Broad said: “Obviously, there’s been some natural frustration from everyone at Nottingham Forest: owners, players, manager fans, supporters, my friendship group are frustrated.
“I think it’s not just from the weekend, I think the frustration is built over the season, to be honest, from the decisions that the club have had.
“I think the statement straight after the game was probably quite emotional and maybe slightly misaligned with how the club would normally operate.”
Referring to the club’s statement on X, formerly Twitter, in which they claimed VAR Stuart Attwell “was a Luton fan”, Broad said: “Personally, I think that’s got nothing to do with the decision-making. I think it was just poor decision-making.
He continued: “I don’t mind the club showing emotion and passion because ultimately, that’s what sport’s about, but I think some of the words were slightly too emotional.”
Broad, 37, announced he was retiring from cricket during the fifth Ashes Test last summer and bowed out in spectacular fashion.
He hit a six off his final ball and took the final wicket as England won the match to level the series, although Australia retained the urn.
He came second in the public vote for the BBC’s 2023 Sports Personality of the Year in December and has been focusing on fatherhood and television punditry.
After the ceremony he said retirement had been “scary” but that he wanted to continue to “stay connected” to the sport.
When asked what was next, Broad said: “I want to stay in the game.
“It’s a great hobby of mine, it’s probably something I know the most about in the world, in my world, so I want to be able to share that feedback, whether that’s coaching, whether that’s punditry and commentary that I enjoy.
“But stay connected to the game, you know, I love it.”
Andrew Flintoff’s son makes century for Lancashire second XI
Andrew Flintoff’s 16-year-old son, Rocky, has scored his maiden century for Lancashire’s second XI.
The teenager conjured up memories of his father’s flamboyant hitting as he peeled off 116 in 165 balls against Warwickshire’s second string, hitting 11 fours and three sixes at Edgbaston.
On the same ground where ‘Freddie’ Flintoff struck 167 – his best Test score – against the West Indies in 2004, Rocky made light of his rookie status with a series of punishing blows into the leg side.
Batting for long periods with Saqib Mahmood and sharing a stand of 39 with his 18-year-old brother Corey, the youngster put in an eye-catching display against an attack featuring highly-rated seamer Che Simmons and former England Lions spinner Jake Lintott.
Rocky Flintoff only made his second XI debut earlier this month, a matter of days after turning 16, and hit a half-century against Durham last week.
While his sons take their first steps in the game, Flintoff senior is stepping up his return to the sport and is set to travel to the T20 World Cup in June as part of England’s backroom team.
Flintoff will also act as head coach of Northern Superchargers this summer, furthering his reintegration into the cricketing fold following the major car crash he suffered while filming Top Gear in late 2022.
Matthews stars with 141 and 2-26 as West Indies Women complete 3-0 ODI series sweep over Pakistan in Karachi
Captain Hayley Matthews once again played a starring role to help the West Indies Women complete a 3-0 One-Day International (ODI) series sweep over hosts Pakistan on Tuesday.
The West Indies made an imposing 278-6 off their 50 overs after winning the toss and batting first at the Karachi National Stadium.
Captain Hayley Matthews continued her magnificent form shown throughout the series with 141 off 149 balls including 19 fours while Stafanie Taylor and Shemaine Campbelle both made meaningful contributions with 47 and 38, respectively.
Matthews’ knock means she ends the three-match series with an impressive 325 runs.
Nashra Sandhu took 3-54 to lead the bowling for the hosts while Fatima Sana took 2-67 in support.
An excellent all-round bowling effort then allowed the West Indians to restrict Pakistan to 190 with three overs and one ball remaining.
Muneeba Ali and Aliya Riaz tried their best for the hosts with 38 and 36, respectively.
The West Indian bowling was led by Hayley Matthews, Aliyah Alleyne and Stafanie Taylor who took two wickets each.
Matthews was named player of the series with 325 runs and six wickets.
The teams will now turn their attention to the five-match T20 series which begins on Friday.
Full scores: West Indies Women 278-6 off 50 overs (Hayley Matthews 141, Stafanie Taylor 47, Shemaine Campbelle 38, Nashra Sandhu 3-54, Fatima Sana 2-67)
Pakistan Women 190 off 47.5 overs (Muneeba Ali 38, Aliya Riaz 36, Aaliyah Alleyne 2-10, Hayley Matthews 2-26, Stafanie Taylor 2-29).
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