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Joint head coach ‘not currently part of the business’, say club, as Kirtley takes over

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Sep-2022James Kirtley says that the turmoil behind the scenes at Sussex is “an obvious distraction” to the players, after it was revealed that Ian Salisbury, his fellow head coach, was “not currently part of the business” following a non-cricketing dispute with one of his players.Salisbury had been in charge of Sussex’s Championship and 50-over team since November 2020, with Kirtley taking over the T20 set-up in the same timeframe following the departure of their predecessor Jason Gillespie.However, with the club currently second-from-bottom in the County Championship and battling to avoid defeat in their final match of the season against Glamorgan, it is understood that Salisbury has been placed on gardening leave, due to his handling of the 21-year-old spinner, Jack Carson.Carson, who debuted as a teenager in the Bob Willis Trophy in 2020, was Sussex’s leading wicket-taker in both that competition and the 2021 County Championship. However, having missed the start of the 2022 season following knee surgery, all three of his appearances in the current campaign have come in the past fortnight, since Salisbury’s departure.That includes the ongoing contest against Glamorgan at Hove, but speaking to the BBC at the close of the second day’s play, Kirtley was coy about the circumstances at the club.”We can’t make any further comment on that. There’s a legal process that has to be followed,” Kirtley said. “But it’s an obvious distraction to the lads.”We talk a lot about distractions,” he added. “This is a time of year when contracts are negotiated, and for this young side, it’s very important they understand that this is part of the game, and their ability to rise above those situations is a real skill.”The prospect of losing Carson – a highly-rated offspinner who was born in Northern Ireland but is England-qualified – comes in the wake of several high-profile departures from Hove in recent seasons, most recently the England duo of Chris Jordan and Phil Salt, but before them the likes of Reece Topley, Luke Wells, Danny Briggs, Laurie Evans, Michael Burgess and Harry Finch.It is a talent drain that has come in for scathing criticism from the former Sussex and England wicketkeeper, Matt Prior, who renewed his attack on the club hierarchy – in particular the CEO Rob Andrew and director of cricket, Keith Greenfield – in a series of tweets on Tuesday evening.”Another one the @SussexCCC Chairman, Board, Cricket committee, CEO and Performance Director will want to disappear very quickly,” Prior wrote. “Not sure that’s happening this time. The circle is closing around these people who have done so much to destroy our club.”

Josh Hazlewood and Doug Bracewell have won the final places in their respective attacks for the first Test in Brisbane, preferred over Peter Siddle and Matt Henry

Brydon Coverdale in Brisbane04-Nov-2015Josh Hazlewood and Doug Bracewell have won the final places in their respective attacks for the first Test in Brisbane, preferred over Peter Siddle and Matt Henry. Siddle had replaced Hazlewood for the last Test of the Ashes this year and was impressive in collecting 6 for 67 in the match, but Australia’s selectors were swayed by the bounce and pace that a refreshed Hazlewood should offer at the Gabba.It was at this venue that Hazlewood made his Test debut last summer, and although he suffered whole-body cramps in the heat on day one, he finished with five wickets in the first innings. Hazlewood has had an excellent first year in Test cricket, with 40 wickets at 21.75 so far, and the Australians were keen to have him back in the side after a decent post-Ashes break.”I think we saw it last year against India, the way he could hit high on the bat and bring those keeper and slips into play I think this and the WACA will certainly suit him,” captain Steven Smith said. “He has come a long way. He has learnt a lot out of England and he bowled really well last week in the Shield game. He’s in a good place and hopefully he can have similar results to what he had out here last year.”The move means that Siddle again finds himself on the fringes of Australia’s Test team, having played only one of the home Tests against India last summer and one on this year’s Ashes tour. Siddle may be released from the squad to take part in Victoria’s Sheffield Shield match against New South Wales, starting at the SCG on Friday.”Disappointing for him, he bowled extremely well in the last Test match at The Oval against England, but that’s the team we’ve gone with,” Smith said. “Josh Hazlewood had a lot of success out here last year against India. I think he’ll complement both the left-armers really well. There’s going to be a bit of extra pace and bounce on this wicket, like we’d normally expect.”New Zealand similarly had only one real decision to make at the selection table ahead of this Test: Henry or Bracewell. Henry picked up eight wickets at 42.50 during this year’s Test series in England; Bracewell took five in his last Test, against Sri Lanka in Wellington in January, and was the decisive player with nine wickets in the win over Australia last time the teams met, in Hobart in 2011.”They’re both very similar bowlers,” New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum said. “Matt Henry got an opportunity in England and did a pretty good job. The Test before we went to England, Doug Bracewell played and did a pretty good job for us as well. It’s a bit of a coin toss with them but we were comfortable either way. In the end we had to make a decision and we thought Doug was bowling just a touch better at this point in time.”

James Vince, the Hampshire captain, praised Northeast’s calmness in the situation and believed it probably served to spur him on to produce a significant innings

Andrew McGlashan30-Jun-2018Kent captain Sam Billings criticised the reception given to his predecessor, Sam Northeast, during the Royal London Cup final at Lord’s.Northeast, who left Kent in rather acrimonious circumstances during the off-season, was roundly jeered by Kent supporters as he walked to the crease and again when he reached his half-century. Northeast would have the final say, however, as his unbeaten 75 off 60 balls helped propel Hampshire to a matchwinning total of 330 for 6.But asked if he was happy with the treatment Northeast received, Billings said: “In a word, no. That’s not really cricket, I know it’s a cliché, but Sam’s a classy player, he showed that today. Of course whenever a player leaves a club there will be a bitterness but I don’t think that’s fair at all, really, to be very blunt. I don’t agree with it at all.”It certainly gave the game an edge, everyone felt that in the ground. There was something bubbling there.”James Vince, the Hampshire captain, praised Northeast’s calmness in the situation and believed it probably served to spur him on to produce a significant innings. Hampshire were strongly placed on 193 for 2 when he walked in, but Northeast’s innings ensured they didn’t miss out on posting a record total for a domestic Lord’s final, even though they couldn’t quite scale the heights that looked possible at the 30-over mark.”I said to Sam when we knew we were playing Kent in the final how good it would be for him to get a hundred against them,” Vince said. “He’s obviously played a big part in getting Kent to where they are now, so it’s perhaps slightly unfair but he was fired up to do well for us today.”He’s a very calm man. There was no question that it wasn’t going to faze him. The players he played with have respect for him, the fans are entitled to their opinion and I think he’d respond well to that. It probably gave him the extra incentive to really contribute to us winning.”The most significant innings of the day, however, belonged to Rilee Rossouw who hit 125 off 114 balls to earn the Man of the Match award. Rossouw, who joined Hampshire on a Kolpak deal last year, has not had everything run his way of late, having his front teeth knocked out during the semi-final against Yorkshire in a fielding mishap, and spent 80 minutes stuck in a lift at the team hotel on the eve of the final, but was grateful that everything came together when it mattered.”I’ll take all the bad luck in the world to win a final,” he joked. “I’m happy to relax in victory after two weeks in the wars. I was stuck in the lift for 80 minutes in the hotel last night, on my own. I was actually on my way down to see my wife and my little baby. So I wasn’t happy.”And with my teeth, I dropped a catch in the semi-finals, it went straight through my hands, hit my front teeth, broke the front two right off and chipped a third. The front two are completely gone. I’ve got a good dentist though, so the credit goes to him.”I’m very pleased with my performance today. I wanted this very badly and I’m so happy that the team pulled it off. It feels great to pay back the club for what they have invested in me, I’m very happy.”

Derbyshire’s bowlers made sure there was not too heavy a price to pay for their post-tea collapse on day one by bowling Kent out for 159

ECB/PA22-Aug-2015
ScorecardMark Footitt led the Derbyshire attack once again•Getty Images

Derbyshire’s bowlers made sure there was not too heavy a price to pay for their post-tea collapse on day one by bowling Kent out for 159 on the second day of their Championship match in Derby. Four wickets for Mark Footitt, taking him to 60 for the season, and two each for Tony Palladino and Ben Cotton earned Derbyshire a first-innings lead of 94, which they had extended to 167 at the close.Unable to find the breakthrough in 11 overs the previous evening, Derbyshire were kept waiting five more in the morning before Rob Key was lbw to Footitt for 29 at 50 for 1 and the sides then settled in for a period of attrition which saw only 13 runs added in 12 overs.The arm-wrestle was won by the bowling side, with Daniel Bell-Drummond lbw to Cotton for 19 and Sam Northeast pushing at a Palladino ball to be caught behind for one in the next over.Footitt returned to the attack to have an instant impact, as his second ball was played on to the stumps by Joe Denly and the fifth flattened the off stump of Ben Harmison, who did not offer a shot. Calum Haggett edged Palladino and was caught at third slip by Godleman after the ball was pushed into the air by Chesney Hughes at second, then Sean Dickson was lbw to Cotton to make it 119 for 7.James Tredwell held out for 20 before Footitt bowled him and though Matt Hunn gave the Kent innings a late flurry for 23 not out the innings ended when Ivan Thomas was run out coming back for a third run only to be beaten by the throw by Scott Elstone at deep cover.With Sam Billings absent because of the dislocated finger he suffered keeping wicket on day one, that was it for Kent. Footitt finished with 4 for 61 and Cotton 2 for 45, with Palladino’s unerring 16 overs bringing him 2 for 21. Shiv Thakor played no part for Derbyshire after suffering concussion from a blow to the head while batting, which made their bowling performance even more impressive.Kent hopes that they could find similar success quickly faded as Derbyshire openers Billy Godleman and Ben Slater extended the lead before Slater chopped a Thomas ball on to his stumps to make it 43 for 1. But Godleman, scorer of a century in his last two Championship innings, was immovable and was 42 not out when bad light and rain brought an early end to the day.

A strong all-round performance by the Bangladesh Under-19s helped them win the second ODI against West Indies Under-19s in Georgetown and square the seven-match series 1-1

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-2013
ScorecardMosaddek Hossain top-scored for Bangladesh with 70•WICB Media

Nicolas Pooran joins squad

West Indies added the 17-year-old Pooran to their squad for the series. Pooran was recently part of the Trinidad & Tobago squad that feature in the Champions League T20 in India

A strong all-round performance by the Bangladesh Under-19s helped them win the second ODI against West Indies Under-19s in Georgetown and square the seven-match series 1-1.Bangladesh turned up a much better batting performance compared to the first ODI in which they were bowled out for 135. The resurgence was led by their wicketkeeper batsman, Jashimuddin, who scored 63 off 81 deliveries, and Mosaddek Hossain, who scored 70. The two added 92 runs for the third wicket and laid a solid platform. Nazmul Hossain Shanto then added some quick runs towards the end of the innings to take Bangladesh beyond 250. They were generously helped by the West Indies bowlers, who gave away 41 runs in extras.West Indies suffered an early blow when last match’s half-centurion Leroy Lugg was dismissed for 1, but they were revived by a 70-run stand between Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Jeremy Solozano. Once Bangladesh broke the partnership, though, regular wickets kept on falling. Left-arm spinner Rahatul Ferdous was the most successful bowler as he picked up five wickets.The teams are scheduled to play the third ODI in Providence on Friday, October 11.

Lancashire fast bowler faced possibility of retirement due to injury before maiden call-up

Matt Roller01-Jul-2022On Thursday afternoon, Richard Gleeson saw a WhatsApp notification pop up on his phone. Matthew Mott, England’s white-ball coach, had sent him a message saying, “I’m going to give you a ring.” Gleeson turned to his wife, Laura, and said, in a state of shock: “I think I’m about to get picked for England.”He was right. Gleeson, an uncapped 34-year-old seamer, has been named in England’s 14-man T20I squad to play India next week and with three games in four days putting heavy demands on their seamers, he is highly likely to make his debut. It would be the crowning moment of an improbable comeback story: only eight months ago, he wondered if he would ever play professionally again.Gleeson is one of the game’s late developers. For most of his adult life, he played club cricket for Blackpool and minor counties for Cumberland and became a coach at the Lancashire Cricket Board after a series of unglamorous jobs. At 27, he was trialling with Northamptonshire and earned a first-class debut against the touring Australians; the following year, on a pay-as-you-play deal, he was a key man in their T20 Blast title-winning side.Related

• Late-bloomer Gleeson leaves his mark on T20I debut

• Gleeson wins first England call-up for T20Is against India

• Rohit returns to lead white-ball squads for England series; Hardik back for ODIs

• Rashid to miss India white-ball series to make Hajj pilgrimage

• India to play Derbyshire and Northamptonshire in T20 warm-ups

His ability to bowl yorkers at good pace made him stand out and his upwards trajectory continued. He played for the England Lions in early 2018, moved to Lancashire at the end of that season and appeared in the Bangladesh Premier League, the Big Bash and the Abu Dhabi T10. When England needed standby bowlers for their white-ball squads in the Covid summer of 2020, he travelled to the Ageas Bowl as a reserve.But when he returned to Lancashire, things started to unravel. On the morning before a four-day game, he felt a sharp pain in his lower back – “absolute agony, like being stabbed repeatedly” – and scans diagnosed a stress fracture, caused in no small part by the first lockdown of the pandemic which had left him unable to train.His back was effectively being held together by a single piece of cartilage and he spent the whole winter in rehab, working his way back to fitness. The following summer, he played the first game of the Blast, conceded 21 runs in his only over, and could barely move the next day due to the pain of bowling. He returned for the quarter-final defeat against Somerset but was only “around 70% healed” and was again expensive.Gleeson went for another scan in December, knowing that bad news would probably prove terminal for his career. After all, his contract with Lancashire had already expired: “I was basically unemployed for two months,” he recalls. “I didn’t know what was going to happen – or if I was going to play cricket again. That thought had definitely crept into my mind.”But when I had the scan, the fracture was 100% united, which the specialists had said was the best-case scenario.” Lancashire offered him another contract, initially just for the T20 Blast. “There were no guarantees that I’d get back out on the park and it could be that if I bowled again it would flare up, so it was almost like a suck-it and-see-contract.”In fact, that contract expires in two weeks’ time – but there are no longer the same concerns about whether another will follow. After taking 20 wickets in 12 games in the Blast this year, the joint-most by an England-qualified bowler, Gleeson hopes to win a contract in next week’s wildcard draft for the Hundred, and will soon sit down with Lancashire to discuss his future. But first, he has an England series to think about.England have generally used slower-ball bowlers at the death in short-form cricket of late, but are looking at Gleeson as an old-school, yorker option who can hit the blockhole more often than not. “The one area in our white-ball stuff where we’re looking for options is at the death,” Jos Buttler, England’s new captain, said on Friday.Gleeson is the joint-leading wicket-taker in the Blast this summer•MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

“He bowls some excellent yorkers and watching him in the Blast this year, he’s bowled brilliantly. It was quite an easy selection… everyone was unanimous on that. We certainly see that death-bowling area as somewhere he can use his expertise.”Gleeson has thrived at the death in the Blast, closing out a tie and a one-run win in the two televised Roses games, while against Durham he took a superb 4 for 19, with all four wickets clean bowled.”Obviously if you do things on TV, it gets people talking,” he says. “I’ve had the responsibility of bowling in the powerplay and at the death and I relish the big moments. Dane [Vilas] has entrusted me with that responsibility with Saqib [Mahmood] being out.”I think I’ve done quite well and stepped up to it. If I’m nailing my yorker, it’s obviously a difficult ball to get away, no matter what time of the game. That’s been a big part of it, but you have to be clever with it as well and use it at the right time.”And he has thrived this season while juggling his new commitments at Myerscough College in Preston, where he has been teaching a BTEC cricket course. He has even had to ask for “a little bit of leave” after his England call-up to miss a CPD (Continuing Professional Development) training day which clashes with the India series.He has taken an unusual route but next week, Gleeson will find himself bowling to some of the biggest names in cricket in Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya. His outlook is simple: “They’re all human, at the end of the day. I’ll just go out there, relish it and do the same thing I have all season. If it’s good enough, it’s good enough.”

Mark Footitt, one of English cricket’s most sought-after close-season signings, has agreed a four-year contract with Surrey

David Hopps15-Oct-2015Mark Footitt, the left-arm quick who has been one of English cricket’s most sought-after close-season signings, has agreed a four-year contract with Surrey.Footitt, who trained with England ahead of the Ashes series without managing to make his Test debut, will add new potency to Surrey’s bowling resources as they return to Division One of the ChampionshipDerbyshire have released Footitt, who has a year left on his contract, with immediate effect after agreeing compensation with Surrey.Derbyshire had no wish to lose Footitt but they had to bow to the reality – now well established despite the resentment of a few battle-hardened traditionalists – that a struggling Second Division club can rarely hang on to its most ambitious players.Only a year ago, Footitt had insisted that he could win England honours at Derbyshire, but that view has shifted. It leaves Derbyshire with a 13-year gap since they last provided an England player – Dominic Cork at the end of his career – and with no immediate prospects of ending the run.Footitt said: “It was a difficult decision to leave, but I felt that at this stage in my career, now is the right time to move on and the opportunity to play First Division cricket at a Test ground whilst working with another strong coaching set-up is the ideal next step.”The impression was that England did not quite have the confidence that Footitt would prosper against high-quality opposition – even allowing for the fact that much of the series was played on bowler-friendly surfaces – and a move to the Kia Oval as part of a vibrant, young Surrey side gives the bowler a chance to challenge the notion.Simon Storey, the county’s chief executive, said: “We obviously regret that Mark has decided to move on. Having rejected a contract extension on improved terms, Mark and his agent made it clear he was keen to explore options elsewhere and in these situations, it is better for all parties to find a solution professionally.”Derbyshire have already strengthened their seam bowling resources by signing Andy Carter from neighbours Nottinghamshire and completing the signing of Tom Milnes, who was on loan last season, from Warwickshire, but Storey suggested that more money would be made available to Graeme Welch, their elite performance director.”It is now important that we support Graeme as he develops the current group of Derbyshire bowlers,” Storey said. “We will also be ensuring the finance is in place to augment our bowling line-up with potential replacements.”Derbyshire ar left to hide their frustration as best they can. Elite Performance Director, Graeme Welch commented: “Mark has made great progress since joining the Club and in particular over the last two seasons which got him the call-up to the England Ashes squad.”We of course would have liked him to stay, but we wish him well for the future and our attention is now on working with the promising crop of young fast bowlers at the club while continuing to look to strengthen our squad further.”Welch resists the label; of a struggling county for Derbyshire, who were expected to challenge strongly for promotion only to finish second bottom as well as suffer a lean time in limited-overs competitions.”We are totally focused on developing a side that will be capable of competing in all formats and pushing for silverware,” he said.

Aaron Finch and Brendon McCullum pillaged 85 off 51 balls in a chase of 164, helping Gujarat Lions romp to a seven-wicket win against Rising Pune Supergiants in Rajkot

The Report by Nikhil Kalro14-Apr-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAaron Finch hit his second consecutive half-century of the season•BCCI

Another one-sided encounter, another win for the chasing team. This season’s IPL, it seems, is on repeat mode, after Gujarat Lions cruised to a seven-wicket win against Rising Pune Supergiants in Rajkot. After a strong start, Supergiants looked set for a score in excess of 180, but a superb display of defensive bowling towards the end turned the contest in Lions’ favour. Aaron Finch and Brendon McCullum then effectively killed the game by pillaging 62 in the Powerplay, during their chase of 164.MS Dhoni had pulled back some momentum for Supergiants by contributing to a 20-run last over in the first innings, but his bowlers threw it all away. Loose deliveries stacked up, and the Lions openers duly dispatched them. Four fours and two sixes off the seamers, RP Singh and Ishant Sharma, meant Dhoni turned to M Ashwin in the last over of the Powerplay, but Finch took the legspinner for four fours in a 19-run over.Finch then hit medium-pacer Rajat Bhatia for two sixes over long-on in the seventh over, but holed out to square leg in the ninth, for 50 – his second half-century of the season. By then, though, the damage had been done.McCullum continued to latch on to wayward bowling, as the spinners failed to extract much from the patchy surface. Supergiants’ day was summed up when Dhoni missed a routine stumping with McCullum well short of his crease after R Ashwin had yorked the batsman.After McCullum top-edged an attempted pull to cover off Ishant, the captain Suresh Raina and Dwayne Bravo produced cameos as Lions reached the target with two overs to spare.Supergiants’ batting was a tale of two halves. Faf du Plessis and Ajinkya Rahane continued from where they left off against Mumbai Indians, using exquisite timing to plunder five fours in the first 21 balls. After Pravin Tambe trapped Rahane lbw in the fourth over, Kevin Pietersen and du Plessis ensured a productive Powerplay with a bunch of boundaries.The pair added 30 off 13 balls to end the Powerplay at 57 for 1, with du Plessis being particularly aggressive down the ground. Even as the field spread, the boundary was found regularly and their stand stretched to 83.But just when Supergiants looked to accelerate, Bravo brought out his slower balls to stall the charge. He bowled four of them in succession in the 14th over, the last of which forced Pietersen to drag on. Suddenly, one wicket brought three as the spinners found their lengths. Ravindra Jadeja, who has played most of his domestic cricket at this ground, varied his pace effectively to concede just four off the 17th and 19th overs to finish with figures of 2 for 18.The situation may have been a lot worse had Dhoni not given Supergiants a late surge – he took Bravo for a six, two fours and three twos in the last over. In the end, Supergiants’ 163 was nowhere near enough as they tasted their first defeat in the IPL.

Sohag Gazi has made a return to the Bangladesh international side after he was picked in the Twenty20 side for the two-match series against South Africa which begins on July 5

Mohammad Isam01-Jul-20151:42

Isam: Bangladesh squad still has unanswered questions

Bangladesh have recalled offspinner Sohag Gazi for the two-match Twenty20 series against South Africa, which starts on July 5. This is his first call-up since his bowling action was cleared by the ICC in February this year.Rubel Hossain and Jubair Hossain have also been included for the two matches. Gazi, Jubair and Rubel replaced Mahmudullah, Taskin Ahmed and Abul Hasan who were part of Bangladesh’s last T20 squad, against Pakistan in April this year. Rubel and Jubair were also a part of the ODI squad for the series against India last month.Gazi’s last international match was in August last year, before he was suspended for an illegal action in October. He played most of the 2014-15 domestic season, taking 37 wickets at an average of 37.94 in nine first-class matches, and 17 List A wickets. He also scored two centuries and two fifties.Faruque Ahmed, Bangladesh’s chief selector, said Gazi was picked to fill the role of a specialist offspinner in the side.”We wanted a specialist offspinner so we picked Sohag Gazi. He has been out for a while now, but now he is back with a new action,” Faruque told ESPNcricinfo.Jubair earned his first call-up in Bangladesh’s T20 side, although he hasn’t played any recognised T20 matches in his short domestic career.Mahmudullah is still recovering from a finger injury that ruled him out of the Test and ODIs against India last month, while Taskin is out with a left side tear. Faruque said that Mahmudullah had not “sufficiently recovered” from the injury. Abul Hasan only played the first ODI against Pakistan, going wicketless, and hasn’t played for Bangladesh since.Bangladesh T20 squad: Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Litton Das, Rony Talukdar, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan (vice-capt), Mushfiqur Rahim, Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Arafat Sunny, Jubair Hossain, Sohag Gazi, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur RahmanBCB XI squad for practice match: Imrul Kayes (capt), Anamul Haque (wk), Rony Talukdar, Mosaddek Hossain, Mahmudul Hasan, Saikat Ali, Shuvagata Hom, Abdur Razzak, Sohag Gazi, Al-Amin Hossain, Abul Hasan, Kamrul Islam Rabbi

Aaron Beard four-for seals victory after Paul Walter’s 49 helps lay foundation

ECB Reporters Network24-Jun-2022Michael Pepper continued his Vitality Blast love affair with the Cloud County Ground before Aaron Beard returned career-best figures as Essex Eagles condemned Surrey to a second straight loss.Pepper took his Chelmsford tally to 304 in six innings – and 386 in total – with a tubthumping 48 as Paul Walter continued his fine form with 49 as the Eagles soured to 198 for 7 before fast bowler Beard, making just his second appearance of the season, removed openers Will Jacks and Jason Roy to eventually pick up 4 for 29 – as Surrey fell 43 runs short.Essex boosted their hopes of securing a home quarter-final to move to seven wins out of 12, while Surrey remain top and will host a home knockout game but having been previously unbeaten in all competitions until Thursday night have lost momentum.On a fixture celebrating Essex Pride, Surrey stuck the Eagles in to bat and had Adam Rossington caught behind in the second over, with the first two overs only going for six before Pepper went ballistic.He struck 30 from the first nine balls he faced, with just a dot and a single punctuating his boundary blitz. The South African-born batter began by scooping a six, something he replicated in the following over between a bullet cut shot and followed by four consecutive boundaries off Dan Moriarty.His hitting paused after a strike to the box, which he never really recovered from as he limped to five more runs before he reversed straight to third – the second wicket in three balls for Sunil Narine.Essex’s rebuild and second 10 overs were a textbook display of accumulation – with only seven dot balls, along with four wickets coming in the second half of the innings for 110 runs.Walter was the chief architect of the scoring with his 49, which included four towering sixes, as he put on 51 with Dan Lawrence and 44 with Simon Harmer.Reece Topley made sure his former county didn’t get to 200 as he chipped away throughout and added Walter, Daniel Sams and Harmer to his earlier Rossington dismissal to end up with 4 for 37.Beard made an electrifying start as he picked up both a yorked Roy and Jacks, brilliantly caught at short fine leg by Tom Westley.Smith and Rory Burns put on 57 with a low-risk approach, while still keeping up with the rate before Dan Lawrence stuck one through Smith. Burns followed by skewing Beard to mid-on and Narine fired back at Harmer as Surrey lost their way.Laurie Evans continued the slump when sub fielder Ben Allison produced a spectacular solo relay catch at wide long-on – Harmer grabbing two wickets in the over to return two for 20. Beard had debutant Tom Lawes skying to mid-on for his fourth.Sams pilfered Chris Jordan and Sam Cook had Conor McKerr as Surrey could only reach 155 for 9.