Faulkner's hat-trick keeps him in frame

County Championship

James Faulkner ensured he remains on the national selection radar for the red ball format after taking a hat-trick for Lancashire against Leicestershire on day one of their division two county championship match.

The allrounder’s exploits in the shorter versions of the game are well-documented and highlighted by the man of the match award in Australia’s World Cup final win over New Zealand earlier this year.

However, Faulkner has managed to play in only one Test, when he took six wickets and made 45 runs in England during the 2013 Ashes series.

While Faulkner is not part of the Australian squad for the upcoming Ashes tour, he could get a call-up should injury or form prompt a change from the National Selection Panel.

Faulkner had Ben Raine caught at point with the last ball of the 43rd over and then dismissed Jigar Naik and Charlie Shreck lbw with the first two balls of the 45^th.

He finished with 3-53 from 15 overs with Leicestershire all out for 207 before bad light saw stumps called before Lancashire’s openers faced a ball.

In the other county matches, England batsmen Alastair Cook and Ian Bell were among the runs for their respective teams.

Cook will resume on 50 not out on day two of the clash with his Essex side 0-108 in response to Derbyshire’s dismal first innings of 148 in a division one county clash while Warwickshire batsman Bell will resume on day two of the match against Worcestershire undefeated on 46.

Bell’s teammate and former England batsman Jonathan Trott didn’t fare as well though, dismissed for a duck.

Worcestershire were all out of 243 on day one with Warwickshire 4-101 in reply.

Meanwhile, former Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor compiled a fine 152 for Nottinghamshire in the division one match against Somerset and was backed up down the order by Rikki Wessels.

Wessels, the son of former Australian and South African batsman Kepler Wessels, played for the Sydney Sixers in the KFC T20 Big Bash League last season and will enter day two on 59 not out with Nottinghamshire 6-391 after the first day.

T20 Blast

Australia’s T20 captain Aaron Finch returned to cricket for Yorkshire after a lengthy stint on the sidelines following hamstring surgery, but he failed to have an impact with the bat in his side’s eight-wicket loss to Northamptonshire.

Finch, opening the batting with his good mate Glenn Maxwell, made five after being caught at mid-wicket while Maxwell fell for two - caught at cover - as Yorkshire made 7-82 from 12 overs in the rain-affected clash.

Pakistan legend Shahid Afridi claimed 3-15 from three overs and then made 14 not out as Northamptonshire passed the target in 7.4 overs.

It wasn’t the ideal start for Finch, who had flagged his desire to perform for Yorkshire in the short format.

“Last year, I was disappointed with my T20 form,” Finch said before the match.

“I had a couple of decent innings, but my consistency wasn’t really there. Hopefully this year I can win a couple of games and be someone at the top of the order who really gets us off to a good start.”

In-form Australian Michael Klinger and compatriot Peter Handscomb played in a big win for Gloucestershire over Middlesex.

Klinger’s recent performances in the UK have been well-documented, but he made just 10 in Gloucestershire’s enormous total of 4-214 from 20 overs.

Handscomb made 29 with his teammates Ian Cockbain (75 off 39) and Benny Howell (57 off 35) doing most of the damage.

Middlesex (all out for 171) fell well short of the target.

The other T20 Blast match between Sussex and Surrey was called off after Australian Moises Henriques broke his jaw in three places and teammate Rory Burns suffered facial injuries after a horrific fielding collision.

There was immediate serious concern for both Henriques and Burns, who are currently recovering as they await further treatments in hospital after they were knocked unconscious attempting to take a catch and, with eyes on the ball, crashed into one another.

“Both were unconscious after the collision,” Sussex physiotherapist John Marrale told The Guardian.

“Henriques was caught by Burns’ knee and Burns had lacerations on the top of his head and below his eye.

“They were given oxygen and pain relief before they went to hospital. Fortunately they were sitting up when they left the ground but it was a sickening incident.”

Three ambulances arrived on the field as medical staff and paramedics tended to the players, and there was significant relief when Henriques reportedly offered a wave to the crowd and Burns gave two thumbs up as they were placed on spinal boards and put in neck braces before being lifted into the waiting vehicles.

The Guardian also reported that they were given oxygen and intravenous painkillers.

Henriques took 3-23 from his four overs for Surrey, with Sussex 7-141 from 18.4 overs when play was abandoned with the agreement of players and officials from both sides.