County cricket – as it happened
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Version 0 of 1. 3.55pm BST15:55 Richard Rae has been doing the maths It’s been a match of remarkable statistics, and here’s another: Leicestershire have left the county’s previous highest third-innings score, 404-5 v Oxford University in 1995, far behind in moving to 470-8 at tea. They lead, therefore by 205, with 32 overs left to be bowled - take off two for the change of ends, and while Surrey would still fancy themselves to knock off 206 in 30 overs on a flat track, the equation is becoming a lot less favourable with every passing over. The Foxes lost only Clint McKay in the afternoon session, leg before wicket a long way forward to Zafar Ansari for 41, since when Robb Taylor and Jigar Naik have kept out the Surrey bowlers with few alarms. Whatever happens, it seems we have now seen the last of Kevin Pietersen. He’s been off the field since the start, which means he couldn’t come in until, we think, five Surrey wickets have fallen. Some way to bow out of English first-class cricket, then. 2.47pm BST14:47 Amy Lofthouse reports Rashid has done his bit for Yorkshire, finishing with figures of 4-48 and giving Yorkshire a victory by 305 runs. An excellent afternoon’s cricket but you have to feel for Will Smith, left unbeaten on 64. Rashid got bounce and turn and a bit of luck - Andre Adams, I’m looking at you - but the end came quickly once Will Rhodes had dismissed McManus, caught behind by Bairstow. Once the 56 run stand was over, Berg fell, caught low at backward square-leg by Brooks as he swept a ball almost straight to him. Adams felt the very next ball before Fidel Edwards had a big slog at Patterson and was caught in the slips. 1.19pm BST13:19 Richard Rae reports from The Oval at lunch There’s been a strange Pietersen-less atmosphere around the place. If, as Surrey insist, he is returning, or indeed has already returned, after heading for an exploratory scan on a dodgy calf, he hasn’t joined his team-mates out on the field as they attempt to chisel out the remaining Leicestershire batsmen. Two have been despatched, Ben Raine, leg before on the back foot to Zafar Ansari, a ball that turned back in to the left-hander out of the footmarks, and Niall O’Brien, who had played with admirable restraint in going to 78 before unaccountably driving Tom Curran high to short extra cover. I say unaccountably because Gareth Batty had put two men there precisely for that reason, Jason Roy and Rory Burns, and Burns it was who delightedly put up two hands to take the catch. O’Brien’s dismissal made it 387-7, but Clint McKay has also, for the most part, reined in his attacking instincts, contenting himself with walloping Ansari over midwicket and mid-off a couple of times in going to 30, and with Rob Taylor, still in the process of playing himself in, no mean bat, Leicestershire certainly haven’t abandoned hope here - the more so because Surrey are not just without Pietersen, they’re also without the hamstrung Chris Tremlett, one third of their pace of their pace attack. Surrey should still win - it’s still a pretty flat track - but at 394-7, the Foxes lead by 129 runs, with two sessions remaining. 1.02pm BST13:02 Amy Lofthouse reports from Yorkshire v Hampshire Lunch, and Yorkshire will be frustrated by this partnership. Will Smith looks in very good touch, unbeaten on 51, while Lewis McManus is solid on 26. They’ve dealt with everything Gale has thrown at them. Rashid has bowled unchanged from the Rugby Stand End; Brooks, Bresnan and Patterson have taken it in turns from the Kirkstall Lane End. Rashid and Brooks are both getting the odd ball to bounce, and Bresnan has angled a few across the batsmen, but Smith is very cautious. He isn’t playing at anything that can be left to harmlessly sail by. Gale has also set some aggressive fields to him - four men around the bat when he first came in. Hampshire have had some lovely batting conditions, although the clouds are just beginning to come over as lunchtime beckons.Two wickets fell fairly early. James Tomlinson was bowled by Rashid as he pushed forward, the ball spinning past his bat to hit the top of off. Sean Ervine, who can be dangerous, also didn’t last long. He edged a Bresnan delivery through to Bairstow to leave Hampshire really struggling at 67-6. The Hampshire dressing room will be pleased with the efforts of the two in the middle, however, as they look steady now on 114-6. 11.34am BST11:34 Amy Lofthouse reports from a sunny Headingley There was some slight drama this morning as Tim Bresnan, playing a game of warm-up football with the squad, recieved a boot to the face from Jonny Moxon. Moxon was attempting a high-kick and connected with Bresnan’s face, rather than the ball. He went off but seems to be OK now after a little bowling session with Jason Gillespie. Sedate start at a sunny Headingley this morning - so sunny that I’ve had to slap some suncream on. Hampshire are basically looking to survive while Yorkshire are searching for their second win of the season. Nightwatchman James Tomlinson is tentative in defence and Rashid is starting to get some good turn. He’s bowled better as the match has gone on and he’s lucky to have a good captain in Gale. If he gets hit around a bit - which, particularly in the first innings he did - Gale keeps him on because he knows that Rashid can sometimes take a while to get into a rhythm and taking him straight out of the attack wouldn’t do his confidence any good. He’s getting some bounce, too. 11.02am BST11:02 And here’s Marina Hyde’s take on the KP situation Related: The Pietersen obsession: why we cannot stop talking about Kevin | Marina Hyde 11.01am BST11:01 Richard Rae with more news on Kevin Pietersen Some interesting news. Mr Pietersen will not be joining us, initially at any rate. He has, I’m informed, gone for a scan on a troublesome calf. But he will, we’re reassured, most definitely be coming back. 10.48am BST10:48 Some news on the man of the moment Kevin Pietersen has left the Oval before play. @surreycricket have told us it is to have a precautionary scan on a calf injury. #SSNHQ 10.47am BST10:47 Morning all, Today we have Amy Lofthouse at Yorkshire v Hampshire and Richard Rae at Surrey v Leicestershire. Here’s Richard scenesetter: It is, as the metereologists put it, a simply stonking day in London town, and there’s a substantial crowd here at the Oval to witness what may well prove to be Kevin Pietersen’s final appearance in first class cricket. Actually, most of them here for some sort of team-building conference or other, that being how The Oval’s catering operation makes its money when the ground isn’t hosting a Test match, or T20 game, but no doubt some will be tempted to join the spectators basking in the sun once the cricket gets underway, and KP joins his Surrey team-mates in the middle. It might just be a few overs of fielding are all that’s required of him - Leicestershire’s lead is after all only 45, with five wickets remaining. On the other hand, Niall O’Brien and the young all-rounder Ben Raine - who has had a quietly impressive match for the Foxes - have already added 50 for Leicestershire’s sixth wicket, following Ned Eckersley’s beautifully fluent century yesterday, his second of the season. If they were to extend that into three figures, and Clint McKay, no mean batsman, were to biff the ball around for a few overs, and Rob Taylor and Jigar Naik (both of whom have scored first class centuries) were to get stuck in, what price Surrey needing, oh, 220 off 40, and Pietersen playing one more innings to win the game and put up a metaphorical two fingers to the ECB before packing his bags and heading off to India for the IPL and whatever circus comes next, cricketing or otherwise? One thought though. It’s not completely beyond the realms of possibility for Surrey to make a Horlicks of this. How symbolic would it be for Pietersen to have played the innings of his life, and finish on the losing side? The meeja are out in force, desperately hoping Achilles will, in due course, share his thoughts with the nation. In the meantime, time for a bacon sandwich. Enjoy the cricket. |