Bird swoops in for four on Notts debut

Australia Test seamer Jackson Bird has snared four wickets on his Nottinghamshire debut to continue his superb recent run of form.

Bird had picked up five-wicket hauls in his previous three first-class encounters, stretching back to the second Test of Australia’s tour of New Zealand in February. He fell one scalp short of doing it a fourth time in the opening round of the English County Championship season.

The 29-year-old returned figures of 4-56 as Surrey were dismissed for 225 on day two of the Division One encounter at Trent Bridge. Nottinghamshire had amassed 446 on the opening day after visiting skipper Gareth Batty opted to bowl first.

Following on, Surrey were 0-14 when an early stumps was called due to steady drizzle and bad light.

Earlier, Bird removed both Surrey openers, getting Rory Burns caught behind for eight, before going around the wicket to have Arun Harinath caught at slip for 23.

Following a stoppage for bad light, Bird picked up two lbw decisions with consecutive deliveries to speed up Surrey's first-innings collapse.

Former West Indies fast bowler Ravi Rampaul was sent on his way after not playing a shot and then Tom Curran was trapped in front playing around a full, swinging delivery.

Bird now has 22 wickets from his last four first-class matches and could yet add to that tally this game, with Surrey none down and still 207 runs behind.

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“It was good fun,” he told trentbridge.co.uk of his first-innings performance. “There’s still a bit in the wicket if you bowl it in the right areas and I think we managed to do that today.

“It was nice to get a few early wickets out of the way and I had good fun out there.”

Bird was optimistic of his side’s chances of an outright victory, explaining that Notts’ skipper Chris Read’s decision to enforce the follow-on was based on the overcast conditions.

“Any time you have a 200-run lead and you enforce the follow on you’re driving the game,” Bird said.

“I think the weather conditions made that decision (to put Surrey back in) for us; if it was sunny, we probably would have batted again but the ball was doing plenty this afternoon.

“We thought if we put them back in and got a few early wickets, that’d be ideal.”

England Test captain Alastair Cook got his season off to the perfect start with a century for Essex on day two of their Division Two match against Gloucestershire at Chelmsford.

In response to Gloucestershire’s 262, Cook struck 16 boundaries in his 105 as he and Tom Westley (121) put on 222 for the second wicket. Essex finished went to stumps at 6-287, 25 runs ahead.

Young Northamtonshire opener Ben Duckett has made a spectacular start to the season, closing in on a triple century against a Sussex attack featuring former Queensland and Western Australia seamer Steve Magoffin.

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With just two sessions of play possible on the second day of the match, Duckett went to stumps not out on 282 and has pummelled 38 fours and two sixes in his knock.

It’s the 21-year-old’s seventh first-class ton and his highest score to date. In an Ashes tour match last year, he notched a half-century against an Australian bowling attack featuring Peter Siddle, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon.

It was a tough day for Somerset captain Chris Rogers at Taunton. Resuming the day at 3-30 in reply to Durham’s 256, Rogers’ men were dismissed for 179 with former England fast bowler Graham Onions picking up 4-62.

In the 57 overs before the close of play, Durham opener Keaton Jennings then registered his second century in as many days, finishing the day unbeaten on 105 after his first-innings 116. At the close of play, the visitors were 300 runs ahead of Somerset.

There was no play on day two at New Road in the Worcestershire-Kent match nor at the Rose Bowl in the Hampshire-Warwickshire game.

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