Cricket

Somerset's Craig Overton made a triumphant return to form and fitness, leading the charge as his team bowled out Nottinghamshire for 193 on the opening day of their Vitality County Championship First Division clash at Taunton.Overton, who underwent back surgery during the winter, claimed 3 for 57 from 18 impressive overs, helping Somerset secure maximum bowling points after losing the toss. Only Matt Montgomery (48) and Joe Clarke (39) offered significant resistance for Nottinghamshire on a blustery day.Lewis Gregory and Migael Pretorius also contributed with two wickets each. By the close, Somerset had replied with 116 for 1, thanks to an opening stand of 111 between Sean Dickson (70 not out) and Matt Renshaw (34).The match began with a bizarre innings from Haseeb Hameed, who aimed an extravagant cover drive at the first ball but missed, left the second, and then dragged the third delivery onto his stumps with a repeat of his first shot.Ben Slater and Will Young were more cautious, taking the total to 49 before Overton deservedly claimed his first wicket, dismissing Slater for 25. Gregory then struck twice in the morning session, removing Young for 27 and Clarke for 39.Montgomery and Clarke steadied the Notts innings, but their partnership was broken when Clarke was caught at mid-wicket off Shoaib Bashir. Wickets fell steadily thereafter, with Jack Haynes, Montgomery, Calvin Harrison, Lyndon James, and Brett Hutton all departing.Pretorius picked up two wickets, while Overton returned to claim his third. Nottinghamshire were bowled out for 193 inside 63 overs.In reply, Somerset's openers Dickson and Renshaw put on a century stand, compiling 111 runs in 28.2 overs. Dickson led the way with some sweetly-timed shots, reaching his first Championship half-century at the Cooper Associates County Ground off 68 balls.Renshaw played a supporting role until edging a delivery to slip, but Somerset ended the day in a strong position, trailing by just 77 runs with nine wickets in hand.

Surrey and Somerset played out a thrilling draw in a match that featured a record-breaking start and a tense finish.After rain washed out the first hour of play on the final day, Somerset's lower order batted for over 55 overs to set Surrey an unlikely target of 209 in 19 overs. Surrey's openers, Dan Lawrence and Jamie Smith, responded with a blistering start, scoring 90 runs off the first eight overs.However, Surrey's momentum was halted by the loss of Smith and Ollie Pope, and they eventually fell short of their target, finishing on 123 for 5. Lawrence top-scored with an unbeaten 53 off 30 balls.Earlier in the match, Somerset had collapsed to 7 for 20 on the first day, but they recovered thanks to centuries from Matt Renshaw and Tom Lammonby. Lewis Gregory also played a crucial role with two half-centuries, including an unbeaten 80 in the second innings.For Surrey, Cameron Steel was the standout performer with two five-wicket hauls.Despite the draw, both teams showed resilience and determination throughout the match. Somerset coach Jason Kerr praised his team's "resilience," while Surrey spinner Steel acknowledged the quality of Somerset's bowling.

Surrey's quest for a three-peat in the County Championship got off to a promising start as they established a 73-run lead over Somerset at the Kia Oval. Dom Sibley's first century at home since returning in 2023, along with contributions from Rory Burns, Jamie Smith, and Ben Foakes, propelled Surrey to a first-innings total of 358 for 6.Sibley's 20th first-class century was a masterclass in patience and precision. His straight drives were a highlight, but a misjudgement almost cost him his wicket on 49. Burns, who reached his 94th fifty-plus score, provided solid support, and the opening pair looked set to match Somerset's 285 all out.However, Surrey lost four wickets for 99 runs, including the crucial dismissals of Ollie Pope, Sibley, and Smith. Pope hooked lazily to deep backward square leg, while Sibley was run out in bizarre fashion, hitting his own boot and sending the ball onto his stumps. Smith's aggressive innings, which included two sixes, was cut short by Craig Overton's nip and bounce.Despite their control, Surrey's scoring rate slowed down, with Shoaib Bashir's metronomic spin proving particularly effective. Bashir conceded just 31 runs in an unbroken 16-over spell, including five maidens.Ben Foakes and Cameron Steel added 48 for the sixth wicket, with Foakes reaching his first half-century of the season. However, Gregory trapped Foakes in front, and Steel secured Surrey's third and final batting point with a boundary through cover.Somerset's bowlers hustled throughout, with Lewis Gregory shuffling his attack and tinkering with his field. While they gave their all, the Kookaburra ball proved challenging, and they will welcome the return of the Dukes next week.

Shoaib Bashir, the young English off-spinner, has had a whirlwind few months since making his Test debut for England in India earlier this year. After taking 17 wickets in his first three Tests, Bashir is now set to make his debut for Somerset in the County Championship.Bashir's journey to the international stage has been a remarkable one. He was released by Surrey as a teenager, but after working hard to improve his skills, he was picked up by Somerset. He made his Test debut in the second Test against India in Visakhapatnam, and took 17 wickets in his first three matches."It's been such a surreal couple of months," Bashir said. "I got picked up from pretty much nowhere -- Somerset came to me out of the blue and so has England as well. I'm just so grateful for the opportunity."Bashir's entry into India was delayed due to visa issues, but he eventually joined the team in the middle of the first Test at Hyderabad. He made his debut in Visakhapatnam, and took 4 wickets in the match."It was quite special," Bashir said. "I remember walking out there and I was shaking -- I was like, 'I'm walking out with Ben Stokes, Joe Root here, this is the experience'."Bashir is now keen to ace the challenge of bowling in England after doing well in India. "I'm still young, I'm still learning the game," he said. "I'm quite excited for what's to come. I know bowling in County Championship conditions in this rain is part of the experience as well. I'm still trying to develop my skills."Bashir is fine with moving to another side on loan to get game time for his development as a young spin bowler. "It's not easy being a young kid and then getting told you're not quite good enough to make it," he said. "Getting up from that and knowing if you want something that bad you want to put in work for it, that's sort of what I did. I really made an effort to improve myself as a cricketer and tried to prove a point."

Somerset head coach Jason Kerr has responded to England Test coach Brendon McCullum's call for increased playing time for young spinners Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley by suggesting that Bashir could be allowed to go out on loan.Bashir and Hartley have impressed in India despite limited experience in the county game, and McCullum believes they should be given more opportunities in the upcoming season. However, Kerr acknowledges that it may be difficult to accommodate two specialist spinners in the team at the start of the County Championship, which typically favors seam bowling in spring conditions."It's certainly not easy, but I always try to put myself in the player's shoes and what they want is to play cricket," Kerr said. "We start the season on April 5, and I'd be surprised if too many teams are playing two specialist spinners. So I understand there will be some questions about it."Kerr emphasized the importance of having honest conversations with Bashir about his future. "Bash will be on cloud nine right now and riding that. He would have seen the world very differently at the start of the winter than he does now that he's had international opportunities and done very well. So it's important to have really honest, transparent conversations."Bashir joined Somerset last summer and played six times in the Championship, taking 10 wickets. He has since surpassed that number in two Tests for England but will likely find himself behind Jack Leach, England's senior spinner, who is recovering from a knee injury."There's still a lot of water to go under the bridge, but what I'm not going to do is stand in the way of anyone's opportunity," Kerr said. "We will always do what is best for the player and we've done it time and time again. We've allowed people to go on loan and get some cricket because it can benefit them and us in the future, and we've said no to players because they're next in line and we might need them."Kerr indicated that Leach would be at the forefront of his planning once fit. "It's important we see both of the guys bowling first but we also look at what Leachy has done for club and country over the years," he said. "We always want competition for places and we want it to be healthy. Nobody has the right to start, but Jack has got a lot of experience, and from my side, that counts for a lot."Kerr acknowledged Bashir's potential but emphasized the need for patience. "Bash has so much time to grow and to become a world-class spinner who can bowl on all surfaces and know when to defend and attack. He'll be coming back from India to very different conditions in the UK."