Lancashire bowler Jimmy Anderson has warmed up for this summer time’s Ashes by claiming the prized scalp of his pal, former England captain Sir Alastair Cook, in his first county championship look for 11 months.
England’s all-time main wicket-taker Anderson required simply three balls to take away Essex’s Nick Browne at Chelmsford on Thursday.
Then the 40-year-old trapped his former skipper Cook lbw because the 38-year-old departed for simply hosts closed on 3-98 and trailing by 109 runs at Chelmsford.
Lancashire earlier posted 207 all out in an up-and-down innings underpinned by 20-year-old wicketkeeper George Bell registering a career-best 60 from 109 balls, together with 10 fours.
Elsewhere, Ben Brown’s battling 95 held Hampshire collectively after reigning champions Surrey had threatened to overwhelm them with a powerful five-man tempo assault on the Oval.
Hampshire had been struggling at 6-114 simply after lunch however Brown was joined by Keith Barker in a decided seventh-wicket stand of 96 in 35 overs as they made it to 254 to frustrate Rory Burns’ facet. By the shut, Surrey had been 0-37 in reply.
Middlesex endured one other nightmare begin as Northamptonshire seamer Ben Sanderson took benefit of their fragile high order at Wantage Road, taking 3-2 in his opening burst to go away Middlesex reeling on 4-11 inside 10 overs.
The guests had been all out for 149 earlier than Northamptonshire closed on 3-111 due to 33 from Hassan Azad and an unbeaten 39 from skipper Luke Procter.
All-rounder Lewis Gregory took a career-best 7-84 as Somerset fought again to dismiss Nottinghamshire for 256 at Trent Bridge.
Ben Duckett (75) and Haseeb Hameed (65) had shared a gap partnership of 125 earlier than 5 wickets fell for simply 22, with Gregory taking three of them. He then mopped up the ultimate 4 earlier than Somerset replied with 2-28 to path by 228.
Tons for Rob Yates and Sam Hain punished Kent for a miscalculation with the toss as Warwickshire amassed 3-367 at Edgbaston after being put in. Yates struck 128 and Hain an unbeaten 124 to boost their England credentials.
Durham’s David Bedingham pressed his worldwide credentials with an excellent century as they posted 7-363 towards Worcestershire at Chester-le-Street.
The 28-year-old, who just lately declared his intention to play for his house nation of South Africa moderately than await an England name, scored a chic 118 after Alex Lees supplied the platform with a knock of 70.
Worcestershire bowler Ben Gibbon ended the day with 4-75, together with the scalp of Bedingham, to pull his crew again into the competition.
Half-centuries from Sol Budinger, Lewis Hill and Colin Ackermann noticed Leicestershire lay the foundations for an enormous first-innings rating as they registered 2-243 towards Derbyshire at Leicester.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au