England have lost to Pakistan and despite there still being seven matches to go for the hosts to ensure that defeat was a blip, let us consider the World Cup campaign to be doomed. The County Championship offers refuge for those who abhor defeat for those from these isles: statistically speaking, every county that wins is from England or Wales. Some of the early-season woe for bowlers has been redressed: no county has passed 500 since mid-April, but nor has a side been bowled out for under 100 yet this season. Kent had plenty of catching practice against Essex, snaring nine grabs in the first innings. He continued to turn a sinking ship into a Monte Carlo…

Source: The Times June 04, 2019 11:03 UTC