Jofra Archer and Jacob Bethell will be in action in the County Championship from June 22, as will several Indian stars.
Nine matches in the 2025 County Championship will begin on June 22. The Division One matches will be Durham versus Sussex at Chester-le-Street; Essex versus Hampshire at Chelmsford; Somerset versus Warwickshire at Birmingham; Worcestershire versus Surrey at Worcester; and Nottinghamshire versus Yorkshire at Nottingham.
Meanwhile, Division Two features Gloucestershire versus Derbyshire at Bristol; Lancashire versus Kent at Blackpool; Leicestershire versus Glamorgan at Leicester; and Northamptonshire versus Middlesex at Northampton.
There will be focus around Archer, whom Sussex have included in their playing XI after a ‘bizarre’ mix-up. The game marks Archer’s return to first-class cricket after the match against Kent at Hove in 2021. On that occasion, he had taken 2-29 and 1-14.
Bethell had done little wrong in his first Test series, on the New Zealand tour of 2024/25. Batting at three in all six innings, he reached double figures every time, hit a fifty in each Test (including 96 in the second), and averaged 52. However, England backed Ollie Pope at one-drop for the India series, and Pope responded with a hundred at Headingley. Bethell is playing for Warwickshire.
Among Indian cricketers, Ruturaj Gaikwad will play for Yorkshire only from July 22. Yuzvendra Chahal is not in the Northamptonshire XI either. However, Ishan Kishan is part of the Nottinghamshire playing XI as wicketkeeper, while Hampshire have included Tilak Varma.
County Championship round eight: Live updates
Bethell goes cheaply
Bethell makes 20 off 43. With Zak Crawley batting well in the second innings at Headingley, and Ollie Pope making that hundred in the first innings, that might well be that for his hopes of a second Test recall.
Tilak gets the two he needs
An even 100 and out for Tilak Varma, a laudable effort in his first County Championship innings.
Jacob Bethell has finally reached the crease for Warwickshire. He's digging in, one off 17 so far.
A nervous night in store for Tilak Varma
He goes to stumps 98 not out, needing two runs for a century on County Championship debut. Could be a sleeping pill needed there...
Varma closes in, Bethell made to wait
We've had one near-miss today, can Varma do what Kishan couldn't? He is 73* with 15 overs left in the day.
Jacob Bethell, carded at No.5, is in the dugout for Warwickshire meanwhile. They are 84-1 in response to Somerset's 498.
Lyth c Kishan b Abbas
Tilak makes fifty
Tilak Varma joins Ishan Kishan in reaching fifty in his maiden County Championship knock, though his has been a more sedate innings. His strike rate is below 40, and he has six fours and a six so far.
Archer strikes
Bethell strikes with the ball
It's been a long stint in the field for Warwickshire, but they have Somerset nine down, with Bethell having taken two of them - including fellow England white-ball star Tom Banton.
England c India b Pakistan
Notts piled up 487 after Kishan's dismissal, with Dillon Penningtion adding 61 at a run a ball and Liam Patterson-White equalling the Indian's 87.
Now, with ball in hand, Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas has struck straight away, former England opener Adam Lyth nicking behind to Kishan.
Tilak digs in
He's one of a handful of batters to make hundreds in consecutive T20I innings, but Tilak Varma is digging in here. He's 30 off 87 with just four boundaries so far.
Jofra Archer's first over back
Archer, finally, enters
It's a moment we've waited for for a long time. Jofra Archer's first ball in first-class cricket in four years.
It's down the leg-side but draws a loud appeal, nothing doing from the umpire. The important thing is, he's back.
One India star comes, another goes
No century for Ishan Kishan in his first County Championship innings, but a hugely valuable 87 from 98 balls nonetheless.
In comes Tilak Varma
Hampshire have lost a couple of early wickets, so Tilak Varma is in at No.4. He's 21, averages 50 with the bat in first-class cricket, and has a frankly absurd set of T20 numbers, both domestically and internationally.
Sandhu delays Archer again
Sussex, who initially didn't include Archer in their squad graphics for this game, have also now not given him the new ball. It's Gurinder Sandhu trundling in with Ollie Robinson instead.
Sandhu's blockathon ends
Gurinder Sandhu finally goes for a gritty 8 off 54. James Coles finishes unbeaten on 148. Well batted both.
Now it's Archer time...
Kishan gets to fifty, Archer made to wait
Ishan Kishan has picked up where he left off, quickly converting his overnight 44 into a half-century. With the new ball seen off, he has a chance at a big score.
Sussex, meanwhile, are still nine down. James Coles (137*) is playing a blinder, while Aussie No.11 Gurinder Sandhu has turned into Geoffrey Boycott, facing 34 balls for his two runs so far. Once Durham find a way through, it will be over to Jofra Archer with the new ball.
More to come tomorrow
Sussex end nine down, while Kishan goes to stumps unbeaten on 44 and eyeing up a big score tomorrow. Bethell might have to wait a while yet for his turn, with Somerset losing just three wickets all day. It's a little closer to Tilak Varma time - Essex are eight down overnight. Each bowled some part-time overs, so it wasn't a total day one TFC for any of the four in question.
Archer goes
Jofra Archer falls for an entertaining 31, including three fours and a six. There are 4.3 overs left there, so if a wicket falls now, we might just get an over of Archer before stumps.
Watch Kishan's first three boundaries
Kishan starts quickly as Archer arrives
Get your popcorn out! Ishan Kishan has raced to 26 at a run a ball, his innings laced with five boundaries so far.
Meanwhile, at Sussex, Ollie Robinson's dismissal has brought Jofra Archer to the crease. Don't expect him to hang around.
Almost Archer time... with the bat
Sussex are 255-7, with Jofra Archer next in. With 15 overs left in the day, we'll almost certainly see him at the crease tonight, and perhaps there'll be time for a short burst with the ball as well.
Kishan comes into bat
Just under an hour into the final session, Ishan Kishan has arrived at the crease for Notts, who are 231-4. He's four off nine so far.
Kishan next in
Notts are three down, Joe Clarke the latest to fall for 31, so Ishan Kishan's maiden County Championship innings is almost upon us.
Like London buses!
Somerset were 186-0, Tom Kohler-Cadmore having made a century in partnership with fellow opener Josh Davey (imagine telling the Taunton faithful that would happen at the start of the season!)
But Che Simmons has struck twice in two overs to bring Warwickshire back into the game, and take us two wickets closer to Bethell O'clock.
No superstars yet, but plenty of interest
None of Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Tilak Varma and Ishan Kishan have yet had much to do. Sussex are batting, Warwickshire and Hampshire bowling - Bethell has bowled four overs for 23 - and Kishan is in the dressing room with Notts putting up a strong top-order showing.
There's still been plenty of action elsewhere though. Eddie Jack, on County Championship debut but already an England Lions bowler, has had Jordan Cox, returning from a side strain, out fending off a short ball. Cox was troubled in similar fashion in an England shirt against West Indies last year.
There's a bit of rain around, but the Kookaburra ball has talked decently enough so far. Sussex are three down against Durham, Essex have lost four, and Worcestershire five in Division One. Somerset are the only top tier side as yet unbreached.
Pakistan batter Abdullah Shafique has been denied the chance to make his County Championship debut for Yorkshire against Nottinghamshire due to visa issues.
Davey hits Bethell back over his head for six
Watch: Eddie Jack bounces out Jordan Cox on Championship debut
India internationals also in action
India white-ball batters Tilak Varma and Ishan Kishan are a couple of star additions to this round, turning out for Hampshire and Nottinghamshire respectively.
Meanwhile, New Zealand's Will O'Rourke is also playing for Yorkshire.
How will Bethell and Archer fare?
In action for Warwickshire and Sussex respectively, there will be a close eye on Jacob Bethell and Jofra Archer's performances.
Both players could have roles to play against India this summer, and/or in the Ashes this December.
Kent v Lancashire: Playing XIs
Kent: Daniel Bell-Drummond (c), Tawanda Muyeye, Jack Leaning, Joey Evison, Harry Finch (wk), Grant Stewart, Wes Agar, Matt Parkinson, Kashif Ali.
Lancashire: Luke Wells, Keaton Jennings, Josh Bohannon, Michael Jones, Matty Hurst (wk), Ashton Turner, George Balderson, Chris Green, Tom Bailey, Mitchell Stanley, James Anderson (c).
Gloucestershire v Derbyshire: Playing XIs
Gloucestershire: Cameron Bancroft (c), Joe Phillips, Oliver Price, Miles Hammond, Graeme van Buuren, James Bracey (wk), Ben Charlesworth, Zaman Akhter, Todd Murphy, Ajeet Singh Dale, Archie Bailey.
Derbyshire: David Lloyd, Caleb Jewell, Harry Came, Wayne Madsen (c), Brooke Guest (wk), Anuj Dal, Martin Andersson, Zak Chappell, Alex Thomson, Jack Morley, Ben Aitchison.
Glamorgan vs Leicestershire: Playing XIs
Glamorgan: Sam Northeast (c), Kiran Carlson, Colin Ingram, Ben Kellaway, Chris Cooke (wk), Timm van der Gugten, Ned Leonard, Mason Crane, James Harris.
Leicestershire: Rishi Patel, Sol Budinger, Rehan Ahmed, Lewis Hill, Peter Handscomb (c & wk), Liam Trevaskis, Ben Green, Logan van Beek, Tom Scriven, Chris Wright, Sam Wood.
Middlesex vs Northamptonshire: Playing XIs
Middlesex: Sam Robson, Joshua de Caires, Max Holden, Leus du Plooy, Ryan Higgins, Ben Geddes, Joe Cracknell (wk), Luke Hollman, Zafar Gohar, Toby Roland-Jones (c), Tom Helm
Northamptonshire: Ricardo Vasconcelos, Luke Procter (c), Calvin Harrison, James Sales, Tim Robinson, Saif Zaib, Lewis McManus (wk), Justin Broad, Rob Keogh, Liam Guthrie, Lloyd Pope.
Nottinghamshire v Yorkshire: Playing XIs
Nottinghamshire: Haseeb Hameed, Ben Slater, Freddie McCann, Joe Clarke (c), Jack Haynes, Ishan Kishan (wk), Lyndon James, Liam Patterson-White, Farhan Ahmed, Dillon Pennington, Mohammad Abbas.
Yorkshire: Adam Lyth, Finlay Bean, James Wharton, Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow (c & wk), George Hill, Matthew Revis, Dom Bess, Dan Moriarty, Will O’Rourke, Jack White.
Worcestershire v Surrey: Playing XIs
Worcestershire: Gareth Roderick (wk), Jake Libby, Henry Nicholls, Kashif Ali, Adam Hose (c), Ethan Brookes, Matthew Waite, Tom Taylor, Ben Allison, Fateh Singh, Jacob Duffy.
Surrey: Rory Burns (c & wk), Dom Sibley, Ryan Patel, Sam Curran, Dan Lawrence, Will Jacks, Nathan Smith, Jordan Clark, Mitchell Santner, Matthew Fisher, Tom Lawes.
Somerset v Warwickshire: Playing XIs
Somerset: Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Josh Davey, Tom Lammonby, James Rew (wk), Tom Abell, Tom Banton, Archie Vaughan, Craig Overton (c), Migael Pretorius, Jack Leach, Matt Henry.
Warwickshire: Alex Davies (c), Rob Yates, Tom Latham, Sam Hain, Jacob Bethell, Ed Barnard, Kai Smith (wk), Ethan Bamber, Corey Rocchiccioli, Che Simmons, Oliver Hannon-Dalby
Essex v Hampshire: Playing XIs
Essex: Dean Elgar, Paul Walter, Tom Westley (c), Jordan Cox, Matt Critchley, Charlie Allison, Michael Pepper (wk), Simon Harmer, Shane Snater, Sam Cook, Mackenzie Jones.
Hampshire: Fletcha Middleton, Ali Orr, Nick Gubbins, Ben Brown (c & wk), Tilak Varma, Tom Prest, Liam Dawson, Felix Organ, James Fuller, Kyle Abbott, Eddie Jack.
Sussex v Durham: Playing XIs
Sussex: Daniel Hughes, Tom Haines, Tom Clark, James Coles, Danial Ibrahim, John Simpson (c & wk), Fynn Hudson-Prentice, Jack Carson, Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer, Gurinder Sandhu.
Durham: Alex Lees (c), Emilio Gay, Colin Ackermann, Will Rhodes, Ollie Robinson (wk), Graham Clark, Bas de Leede, George Drissell, Ben Raine, Matthew Potts, Sam Conners
