The champions Essex thrashed Durham by 195 runs in a match that included a record 19 LBWs
His shadow lolling out to the right, a white flannel tucked into the waistband of his trousers and his cropped hair gleaming in the sun, Lancashire’s Matt Parkinson ripped a ball into the rough. Out it fizzed, and Adam Lyth guided the ball off his hip and into the waiting hands of Luke Wells at leg slip. The first “Oh Lanky Lanky” since 2019 trilled over Old Trafford as Lyth stalked towards the dressing room.
Seven overs later, the penultimate of the day, Saqib Mahmood hurtled in off his long, long run and pinned Tom Kohler-Cadmore in front of the stumps. Mahmood punched the air while Kohler-Cadmore slumped back off, followed shortly afterwards by a clatter that sounded very much like a bat being thumped repeatedly against a wall.
What a final last hour that was at Old Trafford! I felt for the Yorkies, they’d battled so hard, shown such restraint – but Parky and Mahmood proved irresistible. Cracking days elsewhere, and a great win for Essex in the lbw-party at The Riverside. I’m bushed, time for a nice glass of something cold. Till tomorrow, goodnight!
