County Cricket Live 2012

6.47pm:Nigel Gardner at Derbyshire v Yorkshire Funny old game, this cricket. After a first spell that should have carried an x certificate, Steve Harmison has just put Yorkshire right back in this top of the table contest with 3 for 0 in 11 balls. None of his victims were prised out by unplayable deliveries but after bowling five wides and two no balls in his opening three overs, the 33-year-old will not care how the wickets come. Derbyshire will probably be wondering how they got out to him after Jon Clare chased one he should have ignored to be caught behind and then Wes Durston went after another widish ball and edged to second slip. At least David Wainwright got a decent bouncer which he helped around to long leg where Moin Ashraf took a well judged catch just inside the ropes. It means seventeen wickets have fallen so far and this on a pitch which is not a poor one by any means. Never mind the pitch inspector, send for the batting inspector.

5.45pm: Nigel Gardner at Derbyshire v Yorkshire Sad to report more problems for Steve Harmison. He bowled only three overs at the start of Derbyshire’s reply and they did not make for pretty viewing. His fourth ball was a wide and he bowled four more, one of them was so wayward it shot away down the leg side to the boundary. There were also two no balls in a spell that cost 27. It was no surprise when he was removed from the attack. Since then, Yorkshire have hit back by taking three Derbyshire wickets including Australian batsman Usman Khawaja who was bowled driving loosely at Moin Ashraf.

Floodlights won't be needed. Just waterproof shoes. Off for the day at Trent Bridge. A few hefty showers is all it takes at the moment. But it's goodbye jet stream, hello Azores High next week, apparently, so all will be well again soon.

Steven Croft is enjoying the sort of fortnight that cricketers dream about. Having hit a century in Lancashire’s drawn match at Guildford a week ago, he has marked his surprise inclusion in England’s provisional squad for the World Twenty20 tournament with three wickets and two catches to leave Worcestershire struggling by mid-afternoon on the opening day at Old Trafford.

Having battled to 40 without loss after winning the toss, Worcestershire’s innings has unfolded facing the left-arm spin of Simon Kerrigan from the Statham End and Croft’s occasional off-spin from the Pavilion End, which is sadly disguised by scaffolding while the refurbishment project continues.

They lost six wickets for 53 runs either side of lunch with Lancashire starting the afternoon session particularly impressively. Croft struck in the second over of the session with Moeen Ali edging to slip and then prompting Vikram Solanki, normally one of the sweetest strikers of the ball on the county circuit, to slice horribly to backward point.

It will surprise none of you that the weather has ruined another day’s cricket. No Championship action anywhere so I’m signing off the blog for the day, but feel free to keep the conversation ticking over in the comments section. England name their Test squad tomorrow morning; pretty simple selection, isn’t it?

And now, after a double century from Joe Root, an opening over by Stephen Harmison, that honorary Yorkshireman making his debut for the county. A mere three wides in it. Ah well, these things happen.

A century for Joe Root and - talking of Andrew Strauss - Yorkshire folk feel that Root might well eventually succeed him in the England side. Contrast Root's fine batting in this match with the non-appearance of James Vince, his one-time England u-19 colleague, who has had to make way for three ringers.

Warwickshire are 175 for three at tea but it is raining here now and the groundstaff are wasting no time in bringing out the sheets, which does not augur well. If the deluges elsewhere are anything of an indicator, we may not see any more play today, which is the second big disappointment of the afternoon.

The other came when Ian Bell was out for 57, having just driven a ball from Steve Magoffin gloriously through the offside for his 10th boundary. Bell has been in wonderful form lately and this was his sixth score of 53 or more in his last eight innings and the Edgbaston crowd, at this stage still enjoying some rare sunshine, were lapping it up.

But then, out of the blue, he was out, going to pull the next delivery as Magoffin dropped one in a little short but mistiming the stroke and finding the fielder at midwicket, who took an easy catch.

We’re back on at Guildford. We’ve lost 18 overs and there are 17 to go.

The rain has held off in Uxbridge – or rather it appears to have passed by on either side – though another cloud bank is moving ceremoniously in from the west. Middlesex, fourth in the table, might have hoped to compete on something of an even footing with the Division One leaders but despite making a second breakthrough, Berg removing Rikki Wessels for 34, already their best chance of saving this game may rely on the elements turning inclement again.

Here we go then, the final round of group matches in this season’s Friends Life t20. 11 counties are still alive, which of course means three are going to miss out on the quarter-finals. Deep breath...

Last night was the catch-up games for all the teams who had played only seven times and there were some significant results. Most notably Yorkshire who booked their place in the quarter-finals - the second team, along with Sussex, to do so - by inflicting the first defeat of the tournament on Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge. Yorkshire might still have to win both their final matches to win the group though because Notts still have a superior net run-rate and are only one win behind the White Rose.

There has been an early abandonment at Derbyshire where Notts were supposed to be playing tonight so that point means Lancashire can only finish third. They need to win both final matches and hope Durham lose one of their final two games. Durham's match tonight at Leicester has also been abandoned so Notts are definitely through with Yorkshire. Durham need to win their last match and hope Lancashire do not win both of theirs - Lancashire's net run-rate is higher at the moment.

Of batsman that have made over 100 runs in the FLt20 this season, Matt Prior has the highest strike rate with 216.32 runs per 100 balls in making 106 runs in three matches for Sussex. Prior is an England player proving what exciting cricket they can provide to the tournament. If only more of them were available. It would surely go a long way to helping England’s T20 side too.