Nathan Lyon’s last game for Lancashire in 2024 ended in a draw as three Aussies played out an extraordinary tied match
Nathan Lyon (Lancashire)
0-24 (6) and 2-65 (27)
12
Season to date: 26 wickets at 30.38
After becoming basically a spectator in the first innings with one of the best seats in the house to watch Jimmy Anderson (7-35) go about his work, the Australian off-spinner toiled hard for his two wickets in the second. While he couldn’t finish with a win in the final match of an eight-game stint with Lancashire, he bowed out as his side’s leading wicket-taker so far this year.
Lyon said post-match he “wouldn’t hesitate” to come back in the future if the stars aligned again. “I’ve absolutely loved it here,” he said. “The club has been absolutely fantastic from the players and coaches all the way through to the staff behind the scenes as well. They’ve made me and my wife and my little one very welcome straight away and I’ve made some mates for life here.”
Marnus Labuschagne (Glamorgan)
19 and 119
1-18 (7) and 0-52 (7)
Season to date: 468 runs at 58.50
The Queenslander helped set up an incredible tie with Gloucestershire with a 148-ball fourth innings century to kick start Glamorgan’s pursuit of a world record 593. While they fell one run short in that quest, Labuschagne’s knock, along with skipper Sam Northeast’s 187 did see their side claim the record for the highest fourth innings total in first-class cricket in England. It was the Australian No.3’s second hundred of the season, to go with 93 in their previous match, and he’s in fine touch heading into the second half of the T20 Blast season.
Cameron Bancroft (Gloucestershire)
0 and 184
Season to date: 745 runs at 57.30
Talk about form, the West Australian keeps churning out the runs at home and abroad to remind national selectors he’s one of the country’s most in form opening batters. After a rare failure in the first innings in favourable bowling conditions, Bancroft cashed in as batting became easier in the second, forming superb partnerships with Miles Hammond (201 for the third wicket) and James Bracey (253 for the fourth wicket) to set Glamorgan a world record run chase. Bancroft continues to climb the season runs tally in division two and is now eighth following his third century of the season.
Beau Webster (Gloucestershire)
18 and 65no
5-17 (10.1) and 1-77 (27)
Season to date: 233 runs at 58.25, 16 wickets at 21.25
The hard-hitting allrounder keeps providing valuable contributions in his debut country season with a second five-wicket haul of the campaign keeping his side in the game in the first innings. He then smashed 65no from 68 balls in the second to push Gloucestershire’s lead to a formidable 592. The Tasmanian toiled for 27 overs on the final two days, grabbing the wicket of Labuschagne when he picked out a fielder flicking off his pads. But he couldn’t repeat his first innings heroics, conceding six runs off the penultimate over before Ajeet Singh Dale took the final Glamorgan wicket off the final ball of the match to complete a memorable tie.
Nathan McAndrew (Sussex)
3-25 (4) and 5-73 (21.2)
2 and 22
Season to date: 11 wickets at 17.00, 77 runs at 25.66
A short but sweet county stint for the South Australian who finished his red-ball appearances for Sussex in 2024 with a match-winning five-wicket haul against Northamptonshire. McAndrew was available for just the two red-ball fixtures during the T20 Blast season. He took two wickets in two balls in the first innings before adding two in three deliveries in the second, completing his 10th first-class five-for with the final ball of the match to seal a 63-run victory and cement Sussex’s spot at the top of the division two standings. The 30-year-old will remain with the club for the T20 Blast season as well as the opening three games of the One-Day Cup.
Daniel Hughes (Sussex)
35 and 13
Season to date: 48 runs at 24.00
Also only available for the red-ball matches during the T20 Blast, Hughes started solidly in his County Championship debut with 35 in the first innings after being left out for the side the week before. He then got off to a rapid start in the second, hitting three of his first four balls faced to the fence before being dismissed lbw on his sixth.
Chris Green (Lancashire)
1-20 (15)
9
The NSW allrounder partnered state teammate Nathan Lyon for the first time with the red ball in his County Championship debut after earning selection through an impressive first half of the T20 Blast. He wasn’t required to bowl in the first innings, as was anyone else really, as Anderson ripped through Notts with seven wickets. Claimed his maiden County Championship wicket on the final day in an extremely tidy spell where he conceded just 1.33 runs per over as the visitors hung on for a draw in Southport. While Lyon departs following an eight-game red-ball stint, Green will stay with the club for the rest of the Blast season.
Charlie Stobo (Kent)
1-83 (25) and 1-36 (5)
28 and 4
Season to date: 3 wickets at 63.00, 132 runs at 33.00
It was a tough trip to neighbouring Southampton for Stobo and his Kent teammates who endured 130 overs in the field across the first two days before being asked to follow-on. They made a good fist of it, setting Hampshire 179 runs to win from 31 overs on the final day, but Liam Dawson made it a cakewalk with a 28-ball 56, all bowlers coping the treatment, including the West Australian who went at 7.2 runs per over for his five.
Did not play
Peter Handscomb (Leicestershire): The Foxes’ T20 captain missed their latest division two fixture with a shoulder injury suffered while fielding on the boundary against Sussex a week earlier.
Sean Abbott (Surrey): The Australian allrounder finished his stint with the Three Feathers following their previous match, collecting 15 wickets at just 15.86 in the Blast to go with 10 in the Championship from four matches.
2024 Division One County Championship standings
2024 Division Two County Championship standings
| Team |
Matches played M |
Wins W |
Losses L |
Drawn D |
No results N/R |
Deductions Ded. |
Batting Bonus Bat |
Bowling Bonus Bowl |
Total points PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 SSX |
9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 24 | 25 | 150 |
|
2 MSX |
9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 21 | 127 |
|
3 YRK |
9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 27 | 123 |
|
4 LEI |
9 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 21 | 115 |
|
5 GLA |
9 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 20 | 108 |
|
6 GLO |
9 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 19 | 103 |
|
7 NOR |
9 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 22 | 97 |
|
8 DBY |
9 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 17 | 78 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
D: Drawn
N/R: No results
Ded.: Deductions
Bat: Batting Bonus
Bowl: Bowling Bonus
PTS: Total points
Australians in the 2024 County Championship
Durham: Ben Dwarshuis, Ashton Turner (both T20s only)
Essex: Daniel Sams (T20s only)
Glamorgan: Marnus Labuschagne
Gloucestershire: Cameron Bancroft, Beau Webster
Hampshire: Michael Neser, Ben McDermott (T20s only)
Kent: Wes Agar, Charlie Stobo, Xavier Bartlett (T20s only)
Lancashire: Nathan Lyon, Chris Green
Leicestershire: Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris
Northamptonshire: Chris Tremain (first four matches only), Ashton Agar (T20s only)
Somerset: Matthew Renshaw, Riley Meredith
Surrey: Sean Abbott, Spencer Johnson (T20s only)
Sussex: Nathan McAndrew, Daniel Hughes