However, Zak Crawley’s promise was the most deceptive, as it was broken just nine minutes before a much-needed new dawn following a gruelling winter. One week after dismissing a left-armer from Loughborough University for a two-ball duck, England’s Test opener was dismissed for one at 11.09 a.m. As many runs as there are remaining stumps.
Relief is expected in the spring. Despite the fact that it left us in the dark for so long, we greet the light with open arms and a kiss on the forehead, bringing warmth from the preceding gloom. Go again, forgive, and forget.
Unfortunately, the first day of the 2025 County Championship was a place of nostalgia and lamentation as Kent and Northamptonshire engaged in a back-and-forth of their own concerns from previous seasons at a brilliantly lit Wantage Road.
Kent was sent in at 164 for 3, and their collapse to 231 all out served as a reminder of their batting weaknesses, which led to their relegation to Division Two. The hosts also doubled down on their shortcomings from previous summers, saving them first with a series of shelled catches that helped Kent rally from 60 for 3 and then 187 for 7. Then they had a loose bat in the late afternoon, which has already put them behind 113 and seven runs.
Northamptonshire left-armer Liam Guthrie’s tenth ball—which raced across the right-hander before nipping in quickly between a vast gap between bat and pad—floored both off and middle in English cricket. Having been raised in Western Australia and refined in Queensland, Guthrie, an Australian with a UK citizenship in his back pocket, brought the zip you’d expect from a fast. That complemented this East Midlands surface with a hint of green.
The delivery was so ridiculous that it could have easily fooled most batters. Additionally, Kent thinks their score is close to 300+ because of the numerous deliveries that came up and darted sideways during the day. However, Crawley had poor footwork, and the leftie’s more wide posture as he came over the wicket made his error even more evident. He side-mouthed this most recent seven-ball blunder, which was his eleventh single-figure score in 20 innings since the end of the previous summer.
“Fresh” from a dreadful SA20 stint for Sunrisers Eastern Cape that ultimately resulted in Crawley’s dismissal, and a Matt Henry-ruined series that averaged 8.66 in New Zealand at the close of last year, this innings was hardly out of step.
Crawley’s recent record versus Australians (53.33 in the 2023 Ashes) and India (40.70 on the 2024 tour) still matters for the upcoming rematches, regardless of Guthrie’s nationality.
The selectors’ devotion should be put to the test if this gloomy run continues. However, several of his contemporaries, including Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, continue to be ardent supporters of Crawley. Even Jordan Cox, a former Kent teammate who was anxious for a spot in the Test squad after missing the New Zealand series due to a fractured finger, scored a century for Essex against Surrey on the first day of the season.
Speaking at Chelmsford, Cox stated, “I would definitely bat there if England said open, but it wouldn’t be the place I’d want to do it.” “The hardest job in the game is opening the batting.
“The top two openers in the nation are Zach and (Ben) Duckett. I think Zak is the best opener I’ve ever seen when he’s playing well. It’s unfortunate that he receives criticism, but regrettably, everyone has bad days. Playing beautiful drives is how he wants to express himself and play. Nobody said anything about the hundred in the Ashes. People should give him some time off.
The day of players trying to make good on starting over was nevertheless interspersed with some performances.
Tawanda Muyeye’s remarkable 72 demonstrated a fresh determination to strike a balance between improved shot selection and grit. On a ground with very decent carry, the 24-year-old remained firm in defence, even adjusting his edge when it was beaten. He persevered until lunchtime, when Guthrie made a comeback for a second stint. He had scored his eleventh fifty-plus in first-class cricket before the break, including a spectacular cover drive from his 60th delivery.
Muyeye stated, “It’s probably worth more than seventy on that pitch,” referring to the playing field. However, I had a good time today.
“My main areas of improvement while I was abroad in the winter were figuring out who I was in the middle order, handling difficult situations like that, and simply being mature enough.
“I’ve lost wickets on occasion by just making strokes that I know I can make but that aren’t good enough for the circumstances. It just involves being extremely detailed and having the ability to select which shots to play. Because I felt like I kept things simple, and all the world’s finest players do the same.”
James Sales dropped the edge at first slip, depriving Guthrie of a well-earned third despite Muyeye’s late attempt at a back-foot punch with a rising delivery that curved into the right-hander. An incredible spell from Raphael Weatherall delivered the dynamite to cave in the middle order just as it appeared that Jack Leaning and Muyeye were taking the game away.
After recovering from a lower-back stress fracture he suffered in August of last year during his first professional season, Weatherall claimed three wickets in a row, causing a 33 for 5 collapse. He squared up Muyeye to take his off stump for a stroll after catching Leaning caught behind, which ended a 104-run partnership for the fourth wicket. He then did the same to Grant Stewart. The 20-year-old is well-liked in this community, and those crucial interjections indicated that he is prepared to take on greater responsibility given that Northamptonshire entered this game without Ben Sanderson (knee), George Scrimshaw (side), and Gus Miller (foot).
Weatherall’s cues, especially the lengths hammered, were the source of Kent’s seam attack’s distinct blueprint. Even though they only played 33 overs before stumps at Northamptonshire, the fact that all five seamers were able to record wickets—South African Keith Dudgeon took his first Kent wicket after a useful 26—and that Grant Stewart and Jaskaran Singh each claimed two wickets, doubling his 2024 total, spoke of a team effort. As the sun finally started to set, the air was dotted with the hoots and hollers of the cordon.
“I think that’s the best performance I’ve seen in a very long time form our bowlers,” Muyeye remarked. “Just from the get go – everyone seemed to bounce off each other, just working hard together as a group.”
Rob Keogh, who is undefeated at 53, is the home team’s last chance at something approaching parity, so they will need to do more of the same on Saturday to maintain their first-innings buffer. When the club mainstay achieved his half-century of 66 balls, the cheers were as much in recognition of his tenacity as they were of the 33-year-old’s bravery.
Keogh disclosed this month that he struggled with mental health concerns during the 2024 season, using a back injury as an explanation for his absences from the game. Even in difficult situations, this was a confidence-boosting knock that left me feeling renewed and revitalised.
For both parties, the beginning was far from ideal. Regardless of how this game turns out, it did serve as a helpful reminder to both new coaches, Adam Hollioake and Darren Lehmann, that change takes time as they attempt to impose their different styles of “in your face” cricket on Kent and Northamptonshire. Cleaning in the spring always takes longer than you anticipate.
India
