Morkel is man on a mission
MORNE MORKEL swept aside the limited resistance from Nottinghamshire’s batsmen as Surrey claimed a sixth win in eight matches to extend their lead at the top of Specsavers County Championship Division One.
The former South Africa international returned figures of 5-60 to propel his side to a convincing victory by an innings and 183 runs at Trent Bridge, completing match figures of 9-120.
Nottinghamshire, beginning the third day on 57-1, were hustled out for only 199 by early afternoon, with Samit Patel topscoring with 55. Surrey’s fifth consecutive victory was completed with a full haul of 24 points, to lift them 43 clear of Notts and with a game in hand.
“To bowl them out in under two sessions today was really outstanding,” said skipper Rory Burns.
“Morne Morkel takes the plaudits today but the way the bowling unit went about it to bowl out a very good Notts side for 200 twice shows the way we are going about our business. We are winning our games in a dominant fashion and it makes it easy for me as captain but we have to keep on going about our processes the right way.”
Notts coach Peter Moores said: “Morkel is key. He opens things up for them.”
England Test captain Joe Root took career-best bowling figures of 4-5 as Yorkshire secured a crucial Roses win over Lancashire by 118 runs.
Root took three of four wickets to fall on the third morning to secure the White Rose’s third Championship victory in eight matches. The result also deepened their arch-rivals’ relegation worries.
Yorkshire started the match second from bottom of Division One, three points behind Lancashire with a game in hand, but are now 14 points clear of the Red Rose with that game in hand still intact.
Yorkshire coach Andrew Gale said: “That’s an awesome win, a fantastic effort. It was a great spectacle for county cricket. We’re quite confident where we’re at. We know there are areas we have to improve, but we have to keep working hard. If we do, we’ll be in the right place in the table.”
Pakistan batsman Azhar Ali scored a century on his Somerset debut as Worcestershire were set a daunting 443 target at New Road.
Azhar struck two sixes and 13 fours in his 125 from 188 balls before he was last out in Somerset’s 362-9 declared, which enabled England spinner Moeen Ali to complete a five-wicket haul – his first in the Championship for five years. Worcestershire reached 50-2 by the close.
In Division Two, Ben Stokes completed match figures of 8-118 as Gloucestershire set Durham 340 to win at Cheltenham.
Durham coach Jon Lewis, who revealed England paceman Mark Wood has undergone a scan on his heel, said: “Ben is superhuman at times. Because we don’t have him available that often, we can sometimes forget what a special talent he is.”
James Fuller was the hero with 3-40 as Middlesex beat Warwickshire by 18 runs in a thriller at Lord’s. In just his second Championship match of the season, the paceman sealed victory with a yorker that squeezed under the bat of Chris Wright to deny the leaders a sixth win of the campaign.
Northamptonshire skipper Alex Wakely revived his team’s chances of pulling off a huge run chase after a Wayne Madsen century set up a thrilling finish against Derbyshire.
Madsen made 116 as Derbyshire posted 342 to set Northants 314. Luke Proctor made 68 and an unbeaten 48 from Wakely took the visitors to 174-3.