Adam Rossington’s century and an unbeaten 83 from Matt Critchley rescued Essex after a false start to their crunch LV= Insurance County Championship clash against Hampshire.
If Essex lose their penultimate game this week, Surrey can retain their Division One crown by beating Northamptonshire and Tom Westley’s side lurched to 132 for five after winning the toss at Chelmsford.
But Rossington, who was averaging 18.8 with the bat this season when he strode to the crease, thumped 10 fours and two sixes, contributing 104 to an important 177-run stand with all-rounder Critchley.
Rossington edged a big swipe late on at Mohammad Abbas, who had earlier castled Sir Alastair Cook for a three-ball duck, but the wicketkeeper’s Essex-best helped his side collect two batting bonus points.
Surrey also scooped a couple of points thanks to their bowlers, chiefly Tom Lawes, who took three for 24 as Northamptonshire slid from 106 for two to 171 for six on a rain-shortened day at the Kia Oval.
There were also wickets for Jordan Clark, Daniel Worrall and Jamie Overton, who gave Surrey a scare after leaving the field in his third over feeling his hip before returning to snare Saif Zaib.
Former India batter Karun Nair went to stumps unbeaten on 51 after Northamptonshire were invited to bat first on a day where only 63.4 overs were possible.
There were four fewer deliveries but a lot more action at Lord’s, where Oliver Hannon-Dalby’s five-wicket haul restricted struggling Middlesex to a paltry 121 before Warwickshire closed on 72 for four.
Middlesex started the day two points above second-bottom Kent and after their batters were put in and floundered in bowler-friendly conditions, the outgoing Tim Murtagh dragged them back into the contest.
The 42-year-old seamer, playing at the home of cricket for the last time prior to his retirement from professional cricket at the end of the season, took three for 17 as Middlesex took one bowling point.
Kent are bidding to move out of the relegation places this week but despite winning the toss, Tom Lammonby’s 109 – his first hundred of the season – put Somerset on top on 214 for two after 53.2 overs.
Arafat Bhuiyan was the only frontline Kent bowler to take a wicket on the opening day while part-timer Daniel Bell-Drummond atoned for dropping Lammonby on 76 by having the opener caught behind at Taunton.
The inclement weather ruined any prospect of play between Lancashire and Nottinghamshire at Emirates Old Trafford while all three Division Two fixtures were heavily impacted by rain.
Sussex, a day on from their 12-point deduction from the England and Wales Cricket Board that has almost certainly ended their promotion hopes, did not get on to the field at Derbyshire.
Leicestershire, fresh from their Metro Bank One-Day Cup victory at the weekend, need a win to stay in the hunt for a top-two finish and with it a place in Division One next year.
They reduced Yorkshire to 155 for nine after bowling first at Grace Road, where Will Davis finished with four for 28 while Finlay Bean top-scored with 40 to go past 1,000 runs for the season.
Second-placed Worcestershire, who began the day 21 points ahead of Leicestershire, reached 104 for one against already-promoted Durham at New Road.
Sunil Narine's plunders 81 to propel Kolkata Knight Riders to emphatic victory over Pooran's Lucknow Super Giants
In a sensational display of power hitting, Sunil Narine spearheaded Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to a commanding victory over Nicholas Pooran's Lucknow Super Giants and a place atop of the IPL table with a stunning knock of 81 runs off just 39 deliveries.
Alongside Narine, contributions from Ramandeep Singh (25 off 6 balls), Phil Salt (32), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (32), and Shreyas Iyer ensured that KKR posted an imposing total of 235 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs.
The match, held at one of the lower-scoring venues in IPL 2024, set the stage for a challenging run chase for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Despite a 50-run partnership between KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis, LSG struggled to accelerate the scoring rate, ultimately succumbing to the pressure imposed by KKR's bowlers.
Andre Russell emerged as a pivotal figure in the match, not only with his powerful batting but also with his crucial contributions with the ball. Russell's bowling spell saw him claim the crucial wickets of Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran, swinging the match heavily in KKR's favor.
As LSG's innings faltered, the required run rate soared out of control, with the last nine wickets falling for just 67 runs. Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana were instrumental in dismantling LSG's batting lineup, each claiming three wickets.
Narine's explosive batting display in the initial overs set the tone for KKR's commanding total. After Salt's aggressive start, Narine took centre stage, unleashing a barrage of boundaries and sixes. His innings featured a total of seven sixes and six fours, demonstrating his ability to accelerate the scoring rate at will.
Despite eventually being dismissed while attempting another big hit, Narine's contribution laid the foundation for KKR's comprehensive victory. The match also witnessed standout performances from Ramandeep Singh, whose quick-fire innings added crucial runs to KKR's total, putting LSG under immense pressure.
With this convincing win, Kolkata Knight Riders continue to demonstrate their formidable form in IPL 2024, buoyed by standout performances from key players like Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, signaling their intent as serious contenders in the tournament.
IPL: Jadeja stars as CSK move into playoff places
Chennai Super Kings moved into the Indian Premier League playoff places after beating Punjab Kings by 28 runs in Dharamshala.
The reigning champions avenged their seven-wicket defeat by the Kings in Chennai four days earlier to climb to third place in the table with three games remaining.
After a slow start, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Daryl Mitchell's partnership brought 57 runs and settled CSK into their stride. Although MS Dhoni went for a duck, Ravindra Jadeja's late surge of 43 from 26 balls saw them close at 167-9.
Tushar Deshpande claimed Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Rossouw in the second over to stem the Kings' early momentum, while Jadeja (3-20) also took a quickfire double of Sam Curran and Ashutosh Sharma in the 13th over as the hosts finished well short of their target at 139-9.
Data debrief
In getting back to winning ways, CSK ended their five-game losing streak against the Kings, stretching back to 2021.
Despite going for a duck, Dhoni managed to make amends in the field. When he caught out Jitesh Sharma, he became the first player in IPL history to take 150 catches.
IPL: Du Plessis shines as RCB revival continues against Titans
A rapid 64 from captain Faf du Plessis helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a third consecutive Indian Premier League win as they again saw off Gujarat Titans.
RCB comfortably defeated the Titans in an away game six days ago and then comprehensively saw off Shubman Gill’s side once more on Saturday, this time at home.
After the Titans were bowled out for 147, RCB raced to a four-wicket victory with 38 balls to spare to move off the bottom of the IPL table, jumping up to seventh after overcoming a brief scare towards the end of their chase.
Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal and Vijaykumar Vyshak took two wickets apiece as the Titans struggled batting first, falling to 19-3 midway through the sixth over. They needed Shahrukh Khan (37), Rahul Tewatia (35) and David Miller (30) to post some kind of total, with Tewatia passing 1,000 career IPL runs.
Any faint hopes of halting RCB’s run of form were ended when Du Plessis fired 64 from just 23 balls with 10 fours and three sixes, ably supported by opening partner Virat Kohli (42).
A brief spell of chaos saw RCB fall from 92-0 to 117-6 with Josh Little taking 4-45, but Dinesh Karthik (21 not out) and Swapnil Singh (15no) steadied the ship and finished off the chase.
Data Debrief: Kohli regains Orange Cap
While Du Plessis top scored in this game, another good knock from Kohli, who hit four maximums, saw the India great regain possession of the Orange Cap. With 542 runs in IPL 2024, Kohli has a narrow lead over CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (509).
Kohli is averaging 67.75 and striking at 148.08, with four fifties and a century to his name from just 11 innings in a memorable campaign.
He has helped RCB recover from being beaten in seven of their first eight games, while the Titans, finalists in each of the last two editions, have now lost four of their last five.
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