[themaclad]

Coming soon

[themaclad]

Kent @Cnterbury 4 dayer starts Thursday 14/4/2022



https://www.kentcricket.co.uk/

Opponent to watch

Darren Ian Stevens (born 30 April 1976) is an English cricketer. An all-rounder, he bats right-handed and bowls right-arm medium-pace.[1] In first-class cricket he has scored over 16,000 runs and since the age of 35 has taken over 500 wickets and 31 five-wicket hauls.[2] Stevens was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in the 2021 edition of the almanack.

Since his debut in first-class cricket he has played county cricket for Leicestershire and Kent County Cricket Clubs, as well as featuring for the England Lions and winning the Bangladesh Premier League with both Dhaka Gladiators and Comilla Victorians.
Born in Leicester, Stevens made his debut for his home county of Leicestershire in 1997. He was initially an opening batsman[3] and his first century came in his fourth match, two years later against Sussex.[4] This innings earned him a seal of approval (as well as a painting) from Colin Cowdrey.[1][5] He remained, however, on the fringes of the side with Aftab Habib and Ben Smith being preferred in the Leicestershire middle-order. After a strong season in 2002, when he scored 850 runs at an average of 32.69, he was called up to England's Academy squad in Australia[6] and was included in their 30-man squad for the 2003 Cricket World Cup.[7]

After two average seasons for Leicestershire, Stevens was released by his home county at the end of the 2004 season, along with Damian Brandy and George Walker.[8] He then joined Kent for the 2005 season.[9] He made a very good start to his Kent career, scoring over 1,000 runs in a season for the first time in his career.[1] 2006 proved to be disappointing by comparison, yet he still averaged 39. His performances in the Pro40 League, however, brought Kent to the verge of promotion.

In 2007 Stevens helped the Kent Spitfires win the Twenty20 Cup, scoring an unbeaten 30 including the winning runs, against Gloucestershire at Edgbaston.[10] However a week later he injured a groin muscle whilst top-scoring in Kent's victory over Durham[11] and did not bowl for the rest of the season. He played for Mid West Rhinos in the 2009–10 Stanbic Bank 20 Series in Zimbabwe and for Otago in New Zealand during the 2010–11 season.[12][13][14]

Though his career began slowly with only four County Championship appearances between 1997 and 1999, Stevens made his mark with a century against Sussex which attracted the attention of former England batsman Colin Cowdrey. With the departure of several leading batsmen, Stevens secured a regular county place with Leicestershire and was taken on development tours of Australia in 2003. After moving to Kent in 2004 he began with a prolific season - 1,277 runs in first-class cricket - and improved his bowling. By 2012 he was a prolific scorer in the Championship and in Twenty20 and one-day cup competitions, where his attacking stroke-play and wicket-taking bowling cemented his place in the Kent middle order and made "Stevo" a firm crowd favourite.

Stevens played for Dhaka Gladiators during the first two Bangladesh Premier League seasons in 2012 and 2013. On both occasions the team won the title.[15] In August 2013, Stevens was charged by the ICC for failing to report two corrupt approaches in connection to games in the BPL.[16][17][18] The charges were connected to allegations of match fixing within the Gladiators organisation which saw a total of nine people charged by the ICC.[19] In the last game of the 2013 season, Stevens hit 205 not out and believed that the knock could be his last ever innings.[20] In February 2014, Stevens was found not guilty by the tribunal.[15][16][19]

In September 2015 Kent announced that Stevens would be awarded a benefit year in 2016.[21][22] During the 2015 off-season he returned to Bangladesh to play in the third instalment of the Bangladesh Premier League, playing for Comilla Victorians.[15] He and Victorians captain Mashrafe Mortaza were the only players to have taken part in the first three BPL seasons.[23] The team won the 2015 Bangladesh Premier League title with Stevens playing in the final, meaning that he was part of the winning franchise in three BPL titles.[23][24][25][26]

In July 2019 Stevens was loaned out by Kent to Derbyshire for the T20 Blast competition. Stevens, who was still a major part of Kent's team in Championship, but had not played for Kent in the 2018 Blast, was not part of the county's plans for the competition but wanted to play T20 cricket during the season with an eye to maintaining his fitness.[27] Later the same month it was announced that Stevens would leave Kent at the end of the season after 15 seasons playing for the county.[28] His performances, however, led to the decision being reversed and a new contract was offered to Stevens after he made his highest first-class score of 237, at more than a run a ball, against Yorkshire in September at the age of 43.[29][30] In the same match, he took 5-20 to become the second-oldest player to score 200 and take five wickets in an innings in a first-class match, the oldest being W G Grace.[31]

In the shortened 2020 season, Stevens was the third leading wicket taker in the 2020 Bob Willis Trophy, taking 29 wickets at a bowling average of under 16 runs per wicket.[32] His contract was subsequently renewed for the 2021 season,[33] and he was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in the 2021 edition of the almanack, at the age of 44 becoming the fourth oldest player to be named.[34] Lawrence Booth, the editor of Wisden was quoted as saying he was "one of the domestic game's most unsung heroes".[34] He began the 2021 season by scoring a century in Kent's opening championship game against Northants, becoming the oldest player to score a County Championship century since 1986.[35] Later in the season came a record-breaking contribution of 160 out of a stand of 166 for the ninth wicket in a match against Glamorgan, the highest proportion of any stand over 100 in first-class cricket;[36][37] coming in with Kent 80/5 he managed the strike from 128/8 until he was out for 190 with the score on 294.[38] At the 2021 T20 finals day, his 47 not out from 28 balls proved decisive in the semi-final victory against Sussex, and though his contributions in the final were less spectacular, he was part of the victorious Kent side 14 years after hitting the winning runs in the 2007 final.[39]

His best bowling figures are 8 for 75, against Leicestershire in 2017.[40] He won Kent's Player of the Year award in 2005, 2010, 2013, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2653877

[themaclad]

The Red Rose kick off their LV= Insurance County Championship Division One campaign at Canterbury tomorrow (14 April) and a 13-man squad has made the trip South.

Close season signing Phil Salt is set to make his competitive bow for the Club and is expected to keep wicket, whilst Pakistan fast bowler Hassan Ali could also debut having signed for the opening six Championship games of the summer.

Seamers James Anderson and Saqib Mahmood are both absent from the squad after they were made unavailable for selection by the ECB. A further update on the duo's availability for the following round of matches, will be released by the ECB next week.

Opener Keaton Jennings is set to miss the opening period of the season after sustaining a calf injury during pre-season. The new calf issue is unrelated to the injury suffered in August last year.

Jennings is currently undergoing a period of rehabilitation with the Club’s Medical Department.

Lancashire squad to face Kent:
Dane Vilas*, Hassan Ali, Tom Bailey, George Balderson, Jack Blatherwick, Josh Bohannon, Steven Croft, Rob Jones, Danny Lamb, Matt Parkinson, Phil Salt+, Luke Wells, Luke Wood

Warwickshire emerged victorious, but optimism is high at Emirates Old Trafford that a second-placed finish can be bettered.

Our opening fixture, a week later than the majority of counties, comes in the South East against a Kent side who the Red Rose beat at Canterbury last April and then drew with at Emirates Old Trafford.

Kent drew their opening game against Essex at Chelmsford last week, a high-scoring draw which saw both sides post 500 plus in their first innings and five centuries scored.

Pakistan fast bowler Hassan Ali is set to debut for Lancashire having signed for the opening six Championship games of the summer.



Opponents:
Kent finished top of the Division Three last summer in the Conference system.

Having failed to win any of their opening 10 games, in the same conference as Lancashire, they advanced into the season-ending third tier and won all four games to salvage pride to add to their Vitality Blast title success.

Last week’s draw against Essex saw them reply to Essex’s 514 all out with 581-9 declared, including a pair of 129s for opener Ben Compton and highly-rated youngster Jordan Cox.

Australian seamer Jackson Bird, who Lancashire signed at the start of last season before injury forced a change of plan, has signed on at Canterbury for a similar spell to Hassan Ali.

Club captain Sam Billings is away at the IPL, with wicketkeeper batter Ollie Robinson deputising. England Test opener Zak Crawley should play his first match of the summer.

Opposing player to watch:
Tawanda Muyeye is a Zimbabwe-born 21-year-old batter who was named Wisden Schools Cricketer of the Year for 2020, an honour previously bestowed on Jos Buttler.

An aggressive player in Kent’s top order, plus a handy off-spinner, he debuted last summer - his first as a contracted professional - and has played five first-class games to date.

Has scored 200 runs, including a best of 89. He also scored 58 against Essex last week, batting at number three.

A name we will likely hear plenty more of in years to come.

Previous meeting:
A clash in the latter stages of last season’s initial group stage of the Championship, the two sides drew a rainy affair at Emirates Old Trafford at the start of July.

The game will forever be remembered as the one in which Jimmy Anderson claimed his 1,000th first-class career wicket amidst a devastating first-innings spell of 7-19 - a career best.



Kent were rolled for just 74 when play finally got underway on day two.

Lancashire responded with 259-9, including Luke Wood’s unbeaten 63, before declaring at the start of day four.

Unfortunately, Kent held on for the draw, with Jack Leaning’s stubborn 53 not out off 199 balls the linchpin knock in 149-8. Tom Hartley claimed four wickets.

What they said:
Captain Dane Vilas has revealed the hurt of last season’s near miss in the Championship is a motivating factor for success in 2022.

Following their heart-stopping one-wicket win over Hampshire at Liverpool, Lancashire led the title race heading into the final day of last season’s Championship.

Unfortunately, though, Warwickshire completed victory over Somerset at Edgbaston to seal success.

“To get to a point where we were in a winning position and then to lose it on the last day was bitterly disappointing,” said Vilas, who watched the action unfold from Edgbaston on the live stream with the rest of Lancashire’s squad.

“Watching it was almost like a slow death. It was horrible seeing it slip away when it was so close.

“We are going to use that as motivation because we don’t want to be in that position again.

“One of our goals is that we want to be competing in every competition we play.

“We have a big emphasis on the County Championship because it is the hardest one to win, and we want to get to that ultimate prize come the end of the season.”



Lancashire will hope it is a case of deja vu having beaten Kent at Canterbury last April, by an innings and five runs.

Luke Wood and Danny Lamb scored first-innings centuries before Matt Parkinson claimed nine wickets in the match, including seven in the second innings.

Vilas added: “That was the start of things for us last season. It was early on, and we got a good win. Hopefully we can go and do the same again.

“But they’re a good outfit. They have played well this last week.

“All games in Division One are really tough. We know we have to play well. But all the guys are excited to get out there and play.”

[themaclad]

Vilas hit a buccaneering 124 from 158 balls and made a stand of 215 with Steven Croft, who himself produced a more measured 113 not out from 270 deliveries, leaving the visitors in a commanding position at stumps.

Nathan Gilchrist took two for 66 and Matt Milnes two for 68, but after a promising start the hosts struggled throughout the final two sessions, frustrating the majority of a crowd of 1003 at the St. Lawrence.

Lancashire won the toss and chose to bat in broad sunshine, but the light quickly deteriorated and after an opening stand of 36 the breakthrough came when Gilchrist replaced Jackson Bird at the Pavilion End. His second ball found George Balderson’s edge, but it was dropped by a fumbling Zak Crawley at second slip, who failed to grab it three times before parrying it to Jordan Cox at first slip. Although Cox somehow spilled the rebound, it was the shortest possible reprieve for Balderson, who was caught behind off the next ball for seven.



Luke Wells had looked fluent early on but he then fell for 39, toe-ending Gilchrist to Ollie Robinson. When Milnes subsequently trapped Josh Bohannon lbw for 19 Lancashire were wobbling on 80 for 3, but if Kent had arguably shaded the first session, the visitors dominated the second, adding 149 runs and barely offering a chance.

Vilas cut Hamid Qadri to square leg to bring up his fifty in the 46th over and Croft reached the same landmark three overs later when he hit Darren Stevens through the covers for four.

Having reached 229 for 3 at tea, Lancashire continued to pile on the runs, Vilas reaching his 100 when he glanced Qadri past the slips for four, before he was eventually removed by the new ball when he slashed Milnes to Ben Compton at gully.



Milnes gave a roar of delight, relief and quite possibly both, but it was a rare moment of joy for Kent, who also lost Qadri to a hand injury during the evening session.

Croft reached three figures when glanced Bird off his hip for four and remained unbeaten at the close alongside Lancashire debutant Phil Salt, who was unbeaten on 33 after an aggressive cameo late in the day.

[themaclad]

Kent133 for 3 (Compton 60*, Crawley 54; Parkinson 3-39) trail Lancashire 506 (Croft 155, Vilas 124, Salt 97; Qadri 6-129) by 373 runs

The sensible folk who suggest that we shouldn't play first-class cricket beyond the margins of summer will have to reckon with the April we are enjoying. When Phil Salt eased Jackson Bird's first ball of the morning to deep square-leg for a single, only the barely leafed trees would have convinced a stranger that this game was not taking place in high summer.


The sky was little more than wisped with cloud and you needed to be a belt-and-braces cove to wear a coat. Within ten minutes of the second day beginning at the Spitfire Ground, Steven Croft had taken both Bird and Matt Milnes for off-side boundaries and pragmatic Kent supporters became reconciled to the probability of their batsmen facing a tall score for the second successive game.

Nothing to churn the bowels there, of course. Last week, Ollie Robinson's batsmen piled up 581 for 9 declared in reply to Essex's 514 in a game that was not only drawn but also hung and quartered. Such totals were not unusual in the first round of matches and nor were draws. Some in the crowd reckoned this match would have the same outcome when Kent's openers put on 109 in reply to Lancashire's 506, but the atmosphere changed in a last hour during which Matt Parkinson took three prime wickets, among them that of Zak Crawley for 54 lovely runs. Yet one wondered where those early-season, seaming pitches had gone, along with the 70mph bowlers salivating at the thought of them. Lancashire's batsmen played Darren Stevens with a broomstick on the first day here, albeit a very straight one.

The mileposts of acquisition came and went this morning, some more noticeable than others: Salt passed fifty in his first Lancashire innings; the century partnership came up; then the 400; then Croft's 150. The batsmen walked many of their singles and felt the season's young sun on their backs. On the other hand, the report of Salt's square cut off Nathan Gilchrist would not have shamed a grouse moor. Lancashire's bowlers relaxed in the pavilion and reflected that the best moment of the match was when Dane Vilas won the toss. Then Robinson switched Hamidullah Qadri to the Pavilion End and Croft edged his first ball to the Kent keeper behind the stumps. He departed for 155, which was one short of his career-best.

Half an hour later, Salt lunched on 97, an arrangement which allowed the Lancastrian statisticians some 273 miles away to prepare a mighty array of statistics on the county's debut centurions. Alack, they went unquoted. Qadri's second ball of the afternoon was a squalid long-hop but Salt thrashed it straight to Daniel Bell-Drummond and thus became the first of four batsmen to be dismissed by the Afghan leggie in 16 balls. Hasan Ali was the last of these and his dismissal left Parkinson facing the hat-trick delivery, a situation which often makes the bowler favourite. But Bolton's finest squirted the thing through gully and Lancashire had 500 up before Qadri knocked out Lamb's middle peg to complete a career-best 6 for 76.

Kent's reply followed the pattern of the previous two days. The only change seemed to be that instead of wickets falling infrequently, they wouldn't fall at all. Hasan's first spell for Lancashire was more successful than his first innings and Crawley needed good judgement to let a few balls go. The Pakistani seamer has a whippy action and his left arm does so little work that a batsman might be disconcerted when the ball is delivered. But Crawley followed his checked drive off Tom Bailey in the third over with an even more conclusive stroke through mid-off when Lancashire's new signing over-pitched. Later the opener would play a back-foot force through the covers off Danny Lamb and a brace of cuts off Luke Wood. These bowlers are not poor players; whatever Kevin Pietersen may say, they are entitled to professional careers. But they were mastered this Good Friday afternoon by a Test match cricketer.

At the other end Ben Compton was batting with comparable assurance and offered further evidence of his determination to make the most of his chance at Canterbury. His century at Chelmsford has not sated his appetite. When Kent came in for tea on 51 without loss after 21 overs, Lancashire's bowlers surely thought that a day or so of hard pounding for slight reward might lie ahead, even if they left such views unexpressed.

As in the visitors' innings, leg spin offered the greatest threat. Perhaps guided by Robinson's late change, Vilas brought Parkinson on from the Pavilion End and Kent's openers paid him due respects. Quite apart from his two wickets, Parkinson conceded only 39 runs off his 20 overs on this second day; like Liam Patterson-White, he is finding that the demise of spin bowling in April has been rather over-egged.


His long spell was broken only by tea and his willingness to vary his flight while maintaining good lengths to batsmen of different heights was admirable. So it was pleasing when he gained his rewards in the final hour of play when what seemed to be a top spinner defeated Crawley's only inelegant stroke of the day and wrecked his stumps.

There was further grief for Kent when Bell-Drummond, having survived two full-throated lbw appeals from Hasan, was bowled by a lovely leg-spinner from Parkinson for 2. Four overs later, Tawanda Muyeye, having picked up Bailey for two assured leg-side fours was lbw to Parkinson when playing no shot. Lancashire thus collected their first point for bowling before Kent picked up theirs for batting. An hour earlier it had seemed a remote prospect.

And still, it had been a day for light rollers and light hearts. You might have thought it a July evening and at least one spectator called it paradise. But then, he had sat in the Frank Woolley Stand and watched Crawley hit boundaries; he knew there were afternoons when poems write themselves.

[themaclad]

Crusing to victory

Kent were bowled out for 260 in their first innings and with a lead of 246, Lancashire immediately enforced the follow on.

Matt Parkinson has match figures of six for 88 while George Balderson has taken four for 16, including three for 14 in Kent’s first innings, putting the visitors in a dominant position.



Ben Compton made an unbeaten 104 in Kent’s first innings, having been stuck on 99 for 38 minutes, and he was unbeaten on 20 at stumps, having witnessed all 16 dismissals from the other end and having been on the pitch for every minute of all three days. In total Compton faced 421 balls over 571 minutes for an unbeaten aggregate score of 124.

All nine wickets to fall on day two had been taken by spinners (six for Hamid Qadri, three for Parkinson) but pace finally counted after half an hour, when night-watchman Qadri, who’d already taken a violent blow to the right shoulder, saw his off stump pinged back by Tom Bailey, bowling him for 10.

Jordan Cox then lost his off-stump to Hassan Ali for two, but Ollie Robinson hung around for just over an hour to make 27 before he was lbw to Parkinson, leaving Kent on 204 for six at lunch, having resumed on 133 for three.

Darren Stevens made just six before he was lbw to Ali, who celebrated with a banshee-like wail, but the afternoon’s main plot concerned Compton, who moved to 99 with a single off Bailey in the 87th over and then faced four successive maidens while nearly running out of partners.



While Compton was marooned on 99, Matt Milnes was caught behind off George Balderson for 22 and Nathan Gilchrist was caught by Luke Wells off the very next delivery. Jackson Bird thwacked Balderson’s hat-trick ball to the square leg boundary, but it was only when Parkinson replaced Bailey at the Pavilion End that Compton was finally able to celebrate.

Having faced 24 balls and played only one false shot, he glanced the spinner for a single to short fine leg to clinch his second century in as many innings for his new club.

When Balderson bowled Bird for 9 in the next over to conclude Kent’s first innings, Compton became the Kent player to carry his bat since Daniel Bell-Drummond in 2017 and he was given just a ten-minute break before he was asked to do it all over again.

Zak Crawley made just five before he edged Balderson behind to a diving one-handed catch by Phil Salt and Bell-Drummond had made just nine when he glanced Danny Lamb down the leg side to become Salt’s second victim of the innings.

Kent reached 28 for two at tea and lost Tawanda Muyeye early in the evening session when he tried to pull Bailey and was caught by Steven Croft for 17. Cox then inexplicably tried charging Parkinson and was bowled for one, having faced just seven balls.

Robinson showed some of Compton’s discipline, lasting 61 balls before Ali had him lbw for 11, but Stevens survived just four deliveries before he was lbw to Parkinson for one.

Matt Milnes was unbeaten on eight at stumps but Kent will need a miraculous final day to avoid an innings defeat.

[themaclad]

Made us work for it

Lancashire506 (Croft 155, Vilas 124, Salt 97, Qadri 6-129) and 36 for 0 beat Kent 260 (Compton 101*, Crawley 54, Parkinson 4-66) and 279 (Compton 115, Qadri 77) by ten wickets

Just after eleven o'clock this morning there were, perhaps, a few dozen spectators on the Spitfire Ground. Whatever the stone-faced cynics might conclude, their presence was explained by more than free admission and blind loyalty. Some, to be sure, were Lancashire supporters who wanted to see their side complete a victory that was surely certain; others were hoping that since Kent clearly could not rescue a miraculous draw, they might, at least, bat nobly enough to take the day into, say, a second hour; others, again, were happy to observe the duels of which any cricket match is composed.




By the time the game ended over six hours later, all three groups of supporters were satisfied yet their objectives had been achieved in a manner more glorious than any of them could have envisaged. For rather than submit quietly to what had seemed inevitable defeat, Kent's last four wickets had added 198 runs this Easter Sunday and had ensured Lancashire would have to bat again.

But this was one of those rare games in which individual achievement can be ranked alongside the outcome. For on this extraordinary afternoon, Ben Compton had completed his second century of the match and his third in succession for his new county since moving from Nottinghamshire. And only when an exhausted Compton was leg before wicket for 115 when attempting to pull George Balderson's eighth ball after tea did the outcome of it all become clear. That was fitting. Only when Compton was out could Kent be defeated.

Compton's dismissal prevented him becoming only the seventh batter in history to carry his bat through both innings of a first-class game. But the combined statistics of his three centuries this season still boggle the mind. In 11 days he has made 345 runs, faced 918 balls and batted for 20 hours 35 minutes, all, more or less, when trying to secure draws against high-quality attacks. Over the past week or so Kent diehards have watched Compton bat much as couch potatoes binge on TV box sets. And do not mistake it; these have been innings in which his grandfather would have taken pride.

But Kent had a best supporting actor on another day that said much for their prospects in the First Division. His name was Hamidullah Qadri and without his contribution, Compton's efforts would have been merely extraordinary instead of truly heroic… But perhaps we are getting ahead of ourselves. Let us return to this Sunday morning in Canterbury. In the cathedral, the Archbishop is about to begin his Easter Day service; at the Spitfire Ground, Compton and Matt Milnes are going out to bat; in the Frank Woolley Stand a scattering of spectators are living in hope…

At first, things went as Glen Chapple, Lancashire's head coach, might have ordained. Milnes fell to the sixth ball of the day when his forward lunge did not prevent him being given lbw to a ball from Matt Parkinson that barely spun at all. That, however, was both the first and final breakthrough of Lancashire's morning. Compton and his eighth-wicket partner, Qadri, batted with growing assurance for 33 overs until lunch. There were false shots but no obviously near things or spilled catches. Times beyond counting, Lancashire cricketers shouted "Here we go, boys," but the problem was that Kent's eighth-wicket pair wouldn't go. Inevitably, someone extolled a bowler to go "Bang, bang" but this smacked of greed, given that, with luncheon approaching, Lancashire would certainly have settled for a solitary bang and let the other two look after themselves.

Compton batted much as he has done in his three innings this season. Displaying exemplary concentration, he defended immaculately, worked the ball square on either side of the wicket and smacked any dross to the boundary. Qadri, meanwhile, played his shots so freely that he caught up his seemingly immovable partner early in the afternoon session. He brought up his maiden fifty with a boundary to third man off Balderson but was almost immediately dropped at second slip by Steven Croft off Hasan Ali. Lancashire's fielders probably consoled themselves they would get another chance but by mid-afternoon, the stand between Compton and Qadri had gone far beyond irritation. Suddenly it occurred to home spectators that this great thing could be done and that what had begun as an act of loyalty was turning into something near to memorable witness.

The pair set an eighth-wicket record for Kent against Lancashire when their partnership passed the 92 put on by Darren Stevens and Matt Coles at Old Trafford in 2010. The game drifted towards the scheduled tea interval and a wicket did not look like falling, this despite the best efforts of Hasan Ali who sprinted in as though escaping the tax man. And Kent were only 25 runs shy of avoiding the innings defeat when Hasan burst one through Qadri's defences and bowled him for 77. His previous best first-class score was 30. As he returned to the pavilion something over a hundred people rose to applaud.


Now, at last, Lancashire smelt blood. Compton tried to farm the strike but sharp fielding by Balderson prevented him. Left to face an over from Hasan, Nathan Gilchrist survived one ball before being bowled when barely playing a stroke at the second. One wicket to go.

But even then, Kent were not done. Last man Jackson Bird batted with good sense and helped Compton take their side into the lead. Phil Salt missed a stumping when Compton was on 110 and at least four of Dane Vilas's fielders threw themselves to the ground as if unable to cope with the pain of the moment. Parkinson completed his 47th over of the innings and his 78th of the match. Tea came and went. Kent supporters wondered if their side could possibly escape with another draw. Balderson bowled to Compton and it became clear they couldn't.

Lancashire knocked off the 33 runs they needed in 7.1 overs but it was a limp aftermath to the great drama of the day. And even when the match was done, people sat and mused about Compton. They marvelled at his achievements and the game he plays. Come the autumn, they will be marvelling still.

[themaclad]

Gloucs @ Old Trafford 4 dayer starts 21/4/2022



MAN IN FORM

James Bracey



https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2643123

[themaclad]

Lancashire v Gloucestershire
LV= Insurance County Championship, Division One
Emirates Old Trafford
Thursday April 21 - Sunday April 24, 2022, 11am

Steven Croft (155), Dane Vilas (124), Phil Salt (97) and Matt Parkinson (seven wickets in the match) all stood out amidst a series of contributions.

Now it is back home to Emirates Old Trafford to face a Gloucestershire side who have drawn and lost in the opening two games.

Newly promoted to Division One, albeit that happened at the end of 2019 alongside Lancashire, they have drawn at Northamptonshire and lost at home to Yorkshire.

Seam duo Jimmy Anderson and Saqib Mahmood are set to come back into contention after the ECB requested they sit out the Kent game, while Hassan Ali is in line for a home debut after an encouraging start in the South East, claiming five wickets in the game.



Opponents:
Gloucestershire are under new leadership this year, with former South Africa batter Dale Benkenstein their coach.

Benkenstein was employed by Lancashire last season on a short-term batting coach contract.

Captained by another South African, the experienced batter Graeme van Buuren, they have signed Australian opener Marcus Harris as an overseas player alongside Pakistan duo Zafar Gohar and Naseem Shah.

Teenaged quick Shah missed out on the Yorkshire game with a shoulder injury, while left-arm spinner Gohar has returned to Bristol having impressed at the back end of last year.

Gloucestershire started last season’s Conference season impressively before falling away to miss out on qualification for September’s Division One campaign.

Opposing player to watch:
Wicketkeeper batter James Bracey is enjoying one heck of a run of form.

The Bristol-born left-hander, capped twice in Test Matches by England last summer without making an impression, has scored three hundreds in as many first-class appearances since December.

Touring with the England Lions, he scored one against Australia A in Brisbane, before adding one in the first innings of the draw at Northampton and another in the second innings against Yorkshire.

Aged 24, it is form which will inevitably lead to calls for him to return to the Test team, even if it is just as a batter given the plethora of keeping options available.

Bracey will almost certainly bat at three this week and, alongside Harris, is a key player.

Previous meeting:
These two sides haven’t met a great deal in the County Championship recently, though Lancashire did win at Bristol in last year’s Royal London Cup.

The last four-day meeting was at Cheltenham in 2019 when, en-route to promotion, the Red Rose were held to a rain-affected draw.

No play was possible on the first day before Saqib Mahmood claimed four wickets as Gloucester posted 205 all out.



In reply, half-centuries from Keaton Jennings and Rob Jones ensured a 39-run first-innings lead with 244. Unfortunately, with little time left in the game, there was no prospect of anything other than a stalemate.

Gloucester finished on 68-2 second time around.

The visitors have only won twice at Emirates Old Trafford since 1965 - a total of 20 matches. One came in 1994 and the other in 2015.

In total, Lancashire have won 70 of 159 Championship meetings at all venues, losing only 22.

What they said:
Jimmy Anderson is backing Lancashire to win the County Championship title this summer.

Anderson is set to return to county colours for this week’s clash with Gloucestershire and is intent on helping the county get off to a flying start.

His team-mates made the ideal start at Kent, and he said: “I think we have a squad that can go all the way.

“It was a disappointing finish to the Championship last year. But I don't see any sort of negative effect from last year.

“I think there is a real hunger to go one further, to start well, and we have strengthened in areas that will help us.”

Anderson, 39, has not played since the penultimate Test Match of the Ashes series in Sydney at the start of January.

Left out of England’s tour to the West Indies clearly hurt him, but he is ready and raring to go in his bid to advance the Red Rose cause and win his England place back.



“I feel good,” he said. “I’ve probably not had enough outdoor bowling as I’d have liked because of the Manchester weather, but I feel like I’m getting there.

“For me, if I think of how I build up to a Test series (New Zealand at the start of June), I want to be in as good form as possible going into that series.

“The best way of doing that is performing for Lancashire, trying to win games of cricket. That’s been my mindset forever really. Performing as well as I possibly can here and hopefully those performances will lead to a call-up.

“If not, then at least we will get off to a good start to the season.

“I’m trying not to think about that (England) too much.

“What I can focus on and control is playing for Lancashire and getting us off to a good start hopefully.

“Having a good two months with Lancashire is going to be exciting for me.”

Lancashire squad to face Gloucestershire:
Dane Vilas*, Hassan Ali, James Anderson, Tom Bailey, George Balderson, Josh Bohannon, Steven Croft, Danny Lamb, Saqib Mahmood, Matt Parkinson, Phil Salt+, Luke Wells.

[themaclad]

Hassan Ali led a great Lancashire fightback on the opening day of this LV= Insurance County Championship clash after Gloucestershire had stunned the hosts with an unbeaten pre-lunch century partnership.

The Pakistan international took a sensational 6-47 as the Red Rose fought their way back into the game through the afternoon and evening sessions taking all ten wickets for 133 runs after Chris Dent and Marcus Harris had posted 119 for the first wicket.

The visitors’ opening pair had made the most of a good batting track after captain Graeme van Buuren called correctly at the toss, making a steady start in the face of some probing bowling from the international trio of James Anderson, Hassan Ali and Saqib Mahmood.

But Lancastrian hopes of an early clatter of wickets went unanswered as Dent and Harris defended through the first hour and prospered in the second with some lovely attacking shots, Harris lofting Matt Parkinson for six over long-off as the runs started to flow.



The only moments of real alarm for the visitors came when Aussie opener Harris inside edged Mahmood to fine leg for four and Dent survived a big appeal for lbw from Hassan, but the pair accelerated well in the final hour up to lunch posting their century partnership in the last over of the morning.

The afternoon session could hardly have been more of a contrast as Lancashire hit back by taking six wickets for 31 runs in a spell of just over 20 overs.

It was Hassan who made the breakthrough when Dent on 52 edged to second slip where Steven Croft took an excellent juggling catch to break the opening partnership at 119 in the 38th over.



Harris soon followed for 67 when he glanced a Mahmood delivery down the leg side that was well taken by wicketkeeper Phil Salt and George Balderson bowled James Bracey for 5.

Van Buuren and Miles Hammond were then tied down by some accurate Red Rose bowling, adding just 9 runs in 50 minutes before the pressure took its toll.

Van Buuren gloved a pull down the leg side off Mahmood to Salt for 4 before Hassan returned to take two wickets in two balls; Hammond edging a swish behind to Salt for 9 and Tom Lace lbw first ball to leave Gloucestershire on 150-6.



Ryan Higgins and Zafar Gohar steadied matters to reach tea on 170-6 before extending their partnership to 65 during the final session as this day took yet another twist.

But Lancashire claimed the final four wickets late in the day starting with Zafar who had batted steadily to reach 27 before he had a wild swipe at Parkinson and was stumped by Salt, his maiden first-class stumping.

Hassan returned to bowl Josh Shaw for 18 and then have Ajeet Singh Dale caught at point by Josh Bohannon for 4 to complete a marvellous performance with figures of 6-47.

Ryan Higgins, who has a century to his name already this season, was left 51 not out with Gloucestershire 252 all out.



Lancashire had six overs to bat but lost Balderson for 4 in the final over to a run out from a direct hit thrown by Zafar to finish on 11-1, 241 runs behind.

Hassan Ali was a happy man at the close of play after his six-wicket performance on his home debut for Lancashire.

“I really enjoyed that,” he said. “Getting a five-for in the County Championship is a great moment for me.”

“It’s also good for the team. We made a plan to keep it simple and as a bowling unit we did that and succeeded.

“If you keep patient you will get rewards (on this wicket). We did that and kept trying to bowl in the right areas. “The first session wasn’t good enough for us but you can see we (eventually) got a lot of wickets.



“A five-for is pretty special for me. And when you come off and the great Jimmy Anderson is clapping for me, that’s a great moment for me, he’s showing his appreciation.

“I was a bit nervous (to be sharing the bowling with Jimmy),” admitted Hassan. “But he was supporting me and backing me so it was nice.”

Hassan was philosophical about getting six wickets while Anderson went wicketless today.

“Sometimes you bowl really well and don’t get wickets,” he said. “That’s cricket.”

“We’ve got a brilliant bowling attack (here) and I’m enjoying playing with them.



Hassan grinned when asked about his pretty dynamic wicket celebration.

“Cricket is a long game so I thought I’m going to give something for the crowd and my team mates,” he explained.

“They tell me it gives them a lot of energy! The crowd enjoy it too so I’m happy to keep doing it.”

Hopefully it’s a celebration we will see a lot more of the coming weeks.