HAMEED BATTLES TO A TIMELY TON

HASEEB HAMEED delivered a timely reminder to the England Test selectors with his first century since 2016 as LANCASHIRE moved into a first-innings lead against MIDDLESEX at Lord’s. It is more than two years since the Lancashire opener played the last of his three Tests but after averaging less than 10 during a dreadful 2018 the 21-year-old appears to be back to his best. He made 218 against Loughborough MCCU last week and followed it with his fifth first-class hundred against a Test-quality Middlesex attack in their Division Two match at Lord’s. Lancashire reached 267 for four in reply to Middlesex’s 265 and Hameed, 22, said: ‘I’m very happy. I backed myself to go out and perform. It was a good battle with guys like Steven Finn and it was nice to come out of it on the right side.’ Across London, Sir Alastair Cook, the player Hameed might replace in this summer’s Ashes, was out for 11 caught behind off Tom Curran in ESSEX’S match against champions SURREY at the Kia Oval. Essex reached 202 for four after Surrey had been dismissed for 395 with Ryan Patel making his maiden Championship hundred.