Hampshire’s Liam Dawson stakes claim for Ashes call with century and six wickets

By Sports Desk June 26, 2023

Liam Dawson staked his claim for an Ashes call with a century and six wickets as Hampshire took command against Middlesex in their LV= Insurance County Championship clash.

After amassing 141 with the bat, Dawson tore through Middlesex with his left-arm spin to claim six for 38 – and leave Middlesex 142 for eight at the close.

Earlier, Hampshire had been bowled out for 419 with Josh de Caires picking up career-best figures of seven for 144.

Leaders Surrey wrested control against Lancashire at the Kia Oval thanks to a last-wicket stand of 130 between Sean Abbott and Dan Worrall.

Abbott and Worrall both made entertaining half-centuries as Surrey scored 360 to establish a first-innings lead of 86.

The pair then struck in successive overs as Lancashire lost three wickets clearing their arrears. They reached stumps on 113 for four, a lead of 26.

Daniel Bell-Drummond hit a career-best 271 not out and Tawanda Muyeye also weighed in with a century as Kent moved into a strong position to pile more woe on Division One’s bottom club Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

Bell-Drummond’s masterful knock eclipsed his previous best of 206 seven years ago, and also set a record for a Kent batter at Wantage Road, beating Frank Woolley’s 217 from 1926.

The pair added 318 for the second wicket as the visitors piled up 550 for five by stumps, a lead of 313.

Somerset stormed back into contention on the second day against Nottinghamshire at Taunton thanks to Matt Henry’s six-wicket haul and an eighth first-class century from George Bartlett.

Henry took four from 26 in a superb seven-over spell as the visitors collapsed from an overnight 145 for four to 186 all out.

Henry finished with six for 59 to leave Nottinghamshire with a first-innings lead of just 23, before Bartlett’s unbeaten 109 helped Somerset close on 268 for four, 245 in front.

Simon Harmer continued to do the damage as Essex moved closer to an emphatic win over Warwickshire at Chelmsford.

Harmer took five for 65 in the first innings as the visitors were dismissed for 158 and forced to follow on 299 runs in arrears.

Harmer added another wicket in the 24 overs of Warwickshire’s second innings, as an unbroken second-wicket stand of 66 edged the visitors to 71 for one at close.

A century by Colin Ackermann kept Leicestershire in with a chance against Division Two leaders Durham, who declared at 517 for six on day two.

Ollie Robinson’s career-best unbeaten 167 had put the visitors in command but Ackermann – who will join Durham at the end of the season – replied with an unbeaten 104 as his current side responded well to reach 335 for four at stumps.

Wayne Madsen and captain Leus du Plooy rewrote the record books as Derbyshire moved into a position of considerable strength on day two against Worcestershire at New Road.

The duo scored centuries and broke a 31-year-old landmark in establishing a new Derbyshire record of 267 from 70 overs for the fourth wicket against the home side.

Derbyshire will begin day three with a lead of 137 and five wickets in hand and Du Plooy unbeaten on 159.

Matthew Revis hit an unbeaten 104 off 163 balls as Yorkshire posted an emphatic 550 for nine declared against Gloucestershire at Headingley.

Revis was the third rising Yorkshire star to make three figures after openers Fin Bean and George Hill on day one, and set up an action-packed reply from the visitors who reached 232 for five off 57 overs, with Miles Hammond reaching an unbeaten 84.

Australian leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson took the final two wickets in two balls as Glamorgan dismissed Sussex for 203 on day two at Cardiff.

The Welsh county then built on their first-innings lead of 39 as openers Zain-ul-Hassan and Andrew Salter ended the day on 46 without loss – a lead of 85.

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    While acknowledging his team’s enthusiasm to return to the longest format, Brathwaite also stressed the need for focus and execution against what he believes is a talented Bangladesh team.

    "Well, the guys are really looking forward to it. We haven't played Test cricket for a little while, so the guys are excited to get out there. You know it's a ground we love playing at; we enjoy playing here, and you know the guys are ready and raring to go,” Brathwaite said in a pre-game conference.

    The Antigua venue has fond memories for the West Indies, most notably the dismissal of Bangladesh for a record-low 43 in 2018. However, Brathwaite insists that past triumphs are irrelevant heading into this series, as he warned against complacency.

    His warning comes with the anticipation of a balanced wicket that will reward disciplined cricket, as he believes the pitch will offer movement and bounce for the pacers early on, with spin likely to play a role as the match progresses.

    “Everything that’s gone is history. I mean, we're playing against a talented Bangladesh team now, so what's gone, is gone. We are obviously all looking forward to coming tomorrow and starting well in whatever we do,” he stated firmly.

    “We got to focus on tomorrow morning and starting well; that's on our minds. Again, what is gone is gone, and we look forward to this challenge of playing good Test cricket,” Brathwaite noted.

    That said, Brathwaite pointed to the invaluable presence of seasoned pacer Kemar Roach, both for his bowling prowess and his off-field mentorship. Roach’s devastating spell was pivotal in Bangladesh’s infamous 2018 collapse.

    “Kemar is a very experienced player and obviously a Test bowler. On the field, he's great, but off the field, the information he shares with us is phenomenal. So having him around, I think, is very important for this team because on the field we know his statistics and he is playing here in the Caribbean as well.

    “So I would say look forward to that. But, you know, on and off the field, I think Kemar is a true example of a leader for the West Indies going into this particular Test match,” the Barbadian said of his compatriot.

    Interestingly, both Bangladesh and West Indies currently sit at the foot of the ICC World Test Championship standings in eighth and ninth positions, with both also coming off recent defeats to South Africa.

    Despite that, Brathwaite expressed confidence in his batters, many of whom have recently shown form in the regional Super50 competition, as he highlighted the Caribbean side’s determination to finish the cycle on a high.

    “Obviously, we looked at the points as a team, and we know we got four games left in this cycle and we could still pretty much come high up in the table. We just got to believe, and as I said, we are playing against a talented Bangladesh team, so it won't be easy, and we got to come ready and raring to go tomorrow morning,” Brathwaite said.

    “I think they (batsmen) are in a good space; a few of the guys have played in the Super50 tournament and got some scores, so that was good to see. It's just all about that belief now; we’ve had a difficult year thus far, but we also had some good performances with the bat. It's just to draw from those performances as much as possible; we got four innings here, and it's just to bat and give it 100%,” he ended.

    Meanwhile, Bangladesh enters the series missing key players like Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. However, all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who will serve as stand-in captain, believes the team’s younger players have the opportunity to step up.

    “It’s tough without some of our senior players, but we’ve worked hard in practice and are focused on playing positive cricket. We still have a good side right now. Some of the young players coming have a good opportunity to perform well in these conditions, so we actually believe that we can play well and we can come strongly,” Hasan Miraz shared.

    West Indies have named a pace-heavy lineup that includes Roach, Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph, and Shemar Joseph to complement the batting of Brathwaite, Mikyle Louis, Keacy Carty, Kavem Hodge, Alick Athanaze, Justin Greaves, and wicketkeeper Joshua da Silva.

    Bangladesh: Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Capt), Shadman Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Mominul Haque, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Litton Das (wkt), Jaker Ali Anik, Taijul Islam, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana, Hasan Murad

     

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    However, his departure, courtesy of Mark Deyal, did little to disrupt the Pride’s momentum. 

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    Even when Boucher fell to Deyal and Kevin Wickham (14) went to spinner Khary Pierre, Reifer, and Roston Chase (43), on return from West Indies duties, added another 50 for the fourth wicket.

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    With the matches—scheduled for November 22-26 in Antigua and November 30 to December 4 in Kingston—marking the final home series in the current World Test Championship cycle, Coley is determined to see the Caribbean side end the year on a high note after recent setbacks.

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    “Coming off the disappointment of the South Africa series, we put ourselves in a position to close out that series, and we didn’t. So the opportunity is there for us to do so against Bangladesh now, and it is very important for us to come up with a winning result on home soil,” Coley said in a pre-series interview.

    “We’ve always had exciting and challenging series against Bangladesh, and this series offers a chance to create momentum as we head into tougher assignments in Australia and Pakistan,” he added. 

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    “I know that the West Indian fans really want us to do well and have been supportive in their own way because cricket means a lot to the region and the fans are very passionate about the game. Despite the nature of our squad, emerging and experienced players, everyone in the squad wants to do well, so I want to encourage the fans to come out and support us and give us that extra boost of encouragement at home,” Coley ended.

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