England announced their first Test squad of the summer last week – here's how those included fared in the latest County Championship round.
Ben Stokes – 1-96 & 45
England’s Test captain saw little action in his game against Kent, largely thanks to weather prohibiting play on day three as overnight rain seeped through the covers. However, the 19 overs he did bowl saw him remove the recently dropped Zak Crawley, who drove one straight to Matthew Potts, and he finished with figures of 1-96. With the bat, Stokes made 45 before an inside edge sent the ball flying into his leg stump.
Sonny Baker – 5-45
One of two uncapped players in England's squad, Sonny Baker marked his maiden Test call-up with a five-for, which limited Nottinghamshire’s first-innings lead to only 15. He first caught out Ben Slater with a short ball that he couldn’t keep down and followed it up by getting rid of the tail in their only innings with the bat.
Shoaib Bashir – 1-0 & 0-52
Bashir needed just five balls to strike as Derbyshire bowled Middlesex out for 177 on day one, dismissing Eathan Bosch to end the innings without completing an over. He finished with figures of 1-0. He endured a nervy moment when he was hit on the thumb taking a catch on day three, but was able to come back and bowl a few overs before going off the field again.
Harry Brook – 7, 0-2 & 3-11
Brook's defining contribution to Yorkshire's big win over Surrey was with the ball rather than the bat, as he took three wickets in Surrey's second innings after they were forced to follow-on. He took two wickets in one over, dismissing Ryan Patel off an ill-timed drive before clean-bowling Jamie Smith two balls later. He finished his spell by getting Adam Thomas caught at cover, as Surrey fell to 155 all-out in their second innings. Those three wickets gave Brook his career-best first-class figures, beating his 3-15 against Glamorgan in 2021.
Matt Fisher – 4-92, 19* & 10
Fisher was the standout in Surrey's only bowling innings. He finished with figures of 4-92, which included the big wickets of Root, Brook and Bairstow. He then made an unbeaten 19 as Surrey were forced to follow-on.
Emilio Gay – 0
Having scored three hundreds in his last five games and reached an unbeaten half-century in the last round of fixtures, Emilio Gay’s first game as a part of England’s Test setup couldn’t have gone much worse. He was bowled for a six-ball duck, and the combination of Kent’s big first innings score and a rained-out third day meant he didn’t get a chance to bat again.
James Rew – 86
Following his troublesome time opening the batting last week and the confirmation that Gay will open in England's first Test of the summer, Rew returned to number four for Somerset, and to great effect. He made 86 as Somerset piled on the runs, eventually subjecting Sussex to a follow-on. Rain on the final day of play meant Somerset couldn't get a victory over the line.
Ollie Robinson – 1-28
Having earned a recall to the Test squad, Robinson bowled a miserly spell for Sussex as Somerset piled on the runs. He did, however, put down a difficult chance off Craig Overton on 99, which allowed the allrounder to go to his second century of the summer.
Joe Root – 44
In typical fashion, Root made a timely 44 off 52 balls before he was trapped lbw by Fisher. He wasn't required to bowl in either of Sussex's innings, despite having taken eight wickets in his previous two matches.
Jamie Smith – 4 & 0
Smith has struggled for form after his blistering start to Surrey's campaign, only making double-figures one in his last four matches. He edged a Matthew Revis out-swinger to third slip before being bowled by Harry Brook for a duck in his second innings.
Josh Tongue – 2-76 & 0-35
Josh Tongue bowled well for his 2 wickets as Nottinghamshire restricted Hampshire to 214 in the first innings. He couldn’t contribute in the wickets department in the second innings, however, as both sides crawled to a draw.
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