Zak Crawley has boosted his chances of a coveted Ashes call-up by blasting 170 (183) in Kent’s rain-affected draw against Essex in the County Championship over the weekend.
The 25-year-old smacked 27 boundaries and a six during his ‘Bazball’-inspired knock in Canterbury, combining with Ben Compton for 162-run opening partnership in the first innings.
Crawley, who only needed 96 balls to reach triple figures, took a particular liking to Proteas spinner Simon Harmer on Saturday, plundering 70 runs from 55 deliveries against the South African tweaker. The talented opener was eventually toppled by Essex seamer Jamie Porter in the evening session, but not before registering a personal best score for Kent.
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“It’s always nice to score runs and enjoy the game of cricket,” Crawley said at stumps on day three.
“That’s something that I’ve probably lacked in the last year, that enjoyment.
“At the end of the day, it’s just a game, that’s what I’ve been telling myself for the last couple of weeks actually and I’m just going to play every game like I’m playing in the back garden, and it worked today.
“I’m really pleased. The key to the innings, I reckon, was just staying very relaxed. I’ve been probably a bit too tense at the crease recently and I felt really relaxed and tried to play my natural game and it worked today, which was nice.”
Crawley, under pressure to retain his spot in England’s Test XI ahead of the Ashes, has not reached fifty in his last eight Test knocks, scoring 0 and 12 in Kent’s previous County Championship contest against Warwickshire.
One of England’s top-order batters will need to make way for the imminent return of Jonny Bairstow, and Crawley remains one of the leading candidates.
South Australian seamer Wes Agar, making his County Championship debut for Kent, snared 2-67 in the first innings of the drawn contest, including the prized wicket of former England captain Alastair Cook.
Elsewhere in the County Championship, Nottinghamshire opener Ben Duckett brought up his first century of the home summer in a thrilling loss to Middlesex, scoring 177 (258) at Lord’s.
The left-hander slapped 17 boundaries and a six before falling victim to Middlesex seamer Ryan Higgins on day two, with Nottinghamshire bowled out for 364 in the first innings.
However, Duckett was fortunate to survive an early chance when an outside edge flew between wicketkeeper John Simpson and Stevie Eskinazi at first slip.
“It’s always a special ground playing here and gaining that experience with what is to come later in the summer is great,” Duckett said at stumps on day one.
“If I get the nod (for the Ashes), I can think back to this and having a hundred here is nice confidence, but I don’t think I’ll be walking at bowlers as much or paddle sweeping Pat Cummins.
“I know Australia are one of the best attacks, potentially ever, so it’s going to be tough but an enjoyable challenge.”
On the final day, Middlesex was set a 249-run target with 40 overs to play following a charitable declaration from Nottinghamshire Steven Mullaney — and in dramatic scenes at the Home of Cricket, the hosts chased the target with one over to spare for the loss of six wickets, securing their first Division One victory in six years.
Meanwhile, England veteran Stuart Broad claimed seven wickets during the match, including 4-68 in the first innings, as his Ashes preparation ramps up.
Marnus Labuschagne and Marcus Harris, both named in Australia’s Ashes squad last week, unfortunately couldn’t celebrate their call-up with runs in the County Championship this week.
The Queenslander, who batted at No. 3 in both innings, scored 17 and 5 in Glamorgan’s rain-affected draw against Durham in Cardiff but claimed four wickets with his off-spin, finishing with career-best figures of 4-81 from 17.3 overs.
Glamorgan coach Matt Maynard hinted this wouldn’t be the last we’d see of Labuschagne’s off-spin in the future.
“With his leg spin, (Mitchell) Swepson is there at Queensland. He feels that if he can develop his off-spin more, and he’s been bowling all the time in the nets with it, that he could also be another weapon for them,” Maynard explained to BBC Sport Wales.
“Obviously the ball turns the other way to Swepson and (Matthew) Kuhnemann, another teammate.
“That’s why he’s done it. He does spin it, but he was just a little bit nervous today, bowling it for the first time in a professional game.”
Glamorgan teammate Michael Neser, who missed out on Ashes selection despite a prolific Sheffield Shield campaign for the Bulls, claimed 2-81 against Durham in the first innings, while fellow Queenslander Matthew Kuhnemann went wicketless in his third outing for the county.
Harris, who scored a century in his season opener for Gloucestershire earlier this month, registered 1 and 26 in a low-scoring draw against Worcestershire.
West Australian opener Cameron Bancroft, who also missed on Ashes selection, failed to prove national selectors wrong in Somerset’s draw against Lancashire in Taunton, falling victim to seamer Tom Bailey in both innings for 7 and 4.
The 30-year-old is yet to muster a County Championship fifty this season after three matches.
Somerset teammate Peter Siddle was at his vintage best in the first innings, taking 3-97 with his relentlessly accurate seam bowling, while England spinner Jack Leach struggled to unearth turn on a flat wicket, finishing with 2-145.
England and Lancashire veteran James Anderson, who celebrates his 41st birthday this year, claimed his 54th first-class five-wicket haul, finishing with 5-76 from 28 overs in the first innings.
However, the world’s No. 2 Test bowler was guilty of a horrendous dropped catch on the final day, gifting Somerset wicketkeeper James Rew an extra life in the second innings.
“Jimmy Anderson has dropped an absolute sitter. Straight up in the air from Rew, he’s gotten away with a massive life,” the commentator cried.
“There’s no excuse, there’s no rain, there’s no weird wind or anything … if someone dropped that in Sunday friendly cricket today, they would be absolutely slaughtered for it.”
New South Wales seamer Chris Tremain went wicketless in Northamptonshire’s whopping innings defeat to Hampshire, with teammate Sam Whiteman scoring 26 and 6 in the one-sided contest.
Elsewhere, Yorkshire recruit Mickey Edwards claimed his maiden County Championship wicket in a rain-affected draw against Sussex, removing Test bowler Ollie Robinson for 1 in the second innings.
Robinson snared one wicket in his return, while South Australian paceman Nathan McAndrew continued his stellar form in red-ball cricket with three wickets for Sussex.
