English Domestic Season 2026

[Tom Flint]

Middlesex setting up a run chase. Somerset and Essex cant lose any more wickets chasing their totals

 

[Chin Music]

Middlesex setting up a run chase. Somerset and Essex cant lose any more wickets chasing their totals

Essex look like they are going to fail now being 8 down. Somerset had 26 to get still being 6 down a few moments ago. Hard to see the Middlesex V Northants game being anything other than a draw tbh.

Edit: Gregory departs for Somerset and what seemed a relatively comfortable chase is now 25 runs remaining with 3 wickets left!

 

[Molehill]

Essex look like they are going to fail now being 8 down. Somerset had 26 to get still being 6 down a few moments ago. Hard to see the Middlesex V Northants game being anything other than a draw tbh.

Edit: Gregory departs for Somerset and what seemed a relatively comfortable chase is now 25 runs remaining with 3 wickets left!

Make that 15 with 2......

 

[Chin Music]

Make that 15 with 2......

And it is Sonny Baker with the 5 fer for Hants. It has to be said that he had hugely underwhelming debuts with the ODI and T20I teams, however it appears that his red ball record is going in the right direction.

 

[Molehill]

Somerset scramble home thanks to Abell and of course the perfect man for the situation, Leach.

Attention switches to Birmingham where Essex are now just 43 runs away from a very unlikely victory.

 

[Molehill]

Warks can thank me, Essex only scored 1 more run after that.

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

Warwickshire close it out after the 9th wicket stand threatened a fightback. Turns out when their first 5 seamers couldn't get the job done, their 6th seamer could.

 

[kevinw]

And it is Sonny Baker with the 5 fer for Hants. It has to be said that he had hugely underwhelming debuts with the ODI and T20I teams, however it appears that his red ball record is going in the right direction.

This is certainly the format for him. But I wouldn't rush him into the squad. But I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't play any of the Pakistan tests.

 

[Hungry Llama]

double negatives are so confusing. what about the NZ tests? might Baker play in those since hes def the sort the bazballers like, fast wayward & unreliable.

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

Somerset scramble home thanks to Abell and of course the perfect man for the situation, Leach.

Attention switches to Birmingham where Essex are now just 43 runs away from a very unlikely victory.

Certainly not BazBall, but there’s a lot to be said for a lower order batter who can just block the ball!

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

This is certainly the format for him. But I wouldn't rush him into the squad. But I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't play any of the Pakistan tests.

With Carse ruled out of the IPL, Archer quite possibly involved in it until just 4 days before the New Zealand series, and Atkinson’s status being quite vague at the moment, is there an opportunity for a bolter like Baker?

 

[Woodster]

Another underwhelming showing from the Essex batters, in a low scoring game at Edgbaston I still had some confidence we could creep over the paltry target line of 206. It’s a real predicament, we lost Mulder for this game, along with Westley and Cox still absent for different reasons and we brought in Akhter to strengthen the bowling attack. As it turns out he was one of our best batsmen on show aswell, which says more about our top six on current form.

Started the season well with a big hundred from Critchley, but then collapsed in the first innings to 149 all out against Somerset and was then always chasing the game and two below par efforts with the bat at Edgbaston. Elgar and Pepper in particular struggling, Benkenstein hasn’t really got going yet since replacing Westley and Walter hasn’t yet hit the heights of last season, disappointing dismissal today just giving it away spooning it to mid-on trying to break the shackles.

Charlie Allison is a real bright spark, only averaging mid 30’s this season but has bags of potential.

Surrey next up and our batsman are in serious need of a flat pitch to try and cash in and get some runs and confidence into them.

 

[Blenkinsop]

It feels to me as though early season wickets in England have gone the opposite way from those in Australia. Aus is now a seam bowler's paradise whereas a lot of county sides are struggling to take 20 wickets even in April.

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

Surrey next up and our batsman are in serious need of a flat pitch

Seems serendipitous.

 

[chris.hinton]

Division 1

Somerset beat Hampshire by 2 Wickets
Warwickshire beat Essex by 41 runs

Division 2

Lancashire beat Gloucestershire by 4 wickets
Northamptonshire drew with Middlesex

 

[Woodster]

It feels to me as though early season wickets in England have gone the opposite way from those in Australia. Aus is now a seam bowler's paradise whereas a lot of county sides are struggling to take 20 wickets even in April.

Think the pitches are so slow it’s difficult to bowl teams out, April has become a bit of a runs-fest for batsmen up and down the country. Loving seeing James Rew going so well, what a talent.

 

[kevinw]

Given Siddle pulling out of a county stint, Sutherland too - should counties pull the pin on Aussies??

 

[chris.hinton]

Given Siddle pulling out of a county stint, Sutherland too - should counties pull the pin on Aussies??

For the time being yes

 

[ImpatientLime]

Given Siddle pulling out of a county stint, Sutherland too - should counties pull the pin on Aussies??

a sad day when the UKs colonial cousins, will no longer be granted the esteemed privilege of sharing the same pitch as greats like joe root and jimmy anderson.

 

[Woodster]

Such a shame for a talented young quick to now miss his second successive season with a recurrence of his back stress fracture -

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/harry-moore-under-19-seamer-ruled-out-for-second-season-by-back-injury-1533089