Archie Vaughan takes six wickets for Somerset as Bangladesh icon Shakib Al Hasan flops
Archie Vaughan, 18-year-old son of former England captain Michael, took six wickets for 102 runs with his off-breaks to jeopardise Surrey’s chances of their third championship title in a row and raise Somerset’s hopes of their first ever.
Vaughan combined with England left-arm spinner Jack Leach to take all 10 of Surrey’s wickets – and looked no less threatening by comparison on a pitch that is turning but not unfairly so. The champion leaders, with a first innings lead of four, took nine of Somerset’s second-innings wickets, so the hosts lead by only 190 with one wicket left.
The younger Vaughan kicks up his heels and rather prances to the bowling crease much like his father, but has a more compact action – right arm tight into the body at the start of the delivery stride – and puts more snap into his off-breaks. The son had taken three wickets in his only previous championship match; the father, definitely a batsman who bowled, never took more than four wickets in an innings.
The highlight of the Leach-Vaughan duet was the dismissal of Shakib Al Hasan, the star Bangladesh all-rounder whom Surrey have flown in for this single game – in the reasonable expectation that if they do not lose this match to Somerset they will retain their title again. The champions went into this game with a 24-point lead, and only two further matches remain.
Vaughan, in his first over against one of the world’s best batsmen against spin, was cut for four and swept for a single but also startled Shakib with two off-breaks in succession that zipped past the left-hander’s outside edge. The very next over Shakib shimmied down the pitch and chipped the ball back to Leach.
He went on to dismiss Ben Foakes, who has spent many unflustered hours defending against spin in Asia. From round the wicket, Vaughan had him caught pushing forward with a catch at forward short-leg, although Foakes threw back his head before accepting the verdict.
In Surrey’s 95th over Vaughan took two wickets: Jordan Clark heaved a catch to a diving midwicket then, again from round the wicket, Vaughan nipped a straightish ball past a tentative Cameron Steel to hit off stump. Both are former Millfield boys, Steel of an older generation.
Then came what felt like this game’s turning point. Tom Curran, in his first championship game for two years, boldly hit Vaughan for 12 runs in an over and it was not as if the balls were loose, they were risky shots. Yet – with still-excellent figures of 34-7-87-6 – Vaughan was taken off, at 253 for eight, and replaced by the occasional left-arm spinner Lewis Goldsworthy whom Curran struck for three sixes in his one and only over. Curran kept on hitting until he was caught at long-on, going for his ninth six, for 86 off 75 balls.
Vaughan, who had also taken all three of Surrey’s overnight wickets, said: “It was a pretty special day for me. It’s the first five-for I have ever taken, so I am very happy.
“I have watched Rory Burns and Dom Sibley on TV and bowling against such class players is a real challenge. Getting them out is a real achievement for me.”
Shakib had quick revenge. Vaughan had to open the innings, after bowling 37 overs, and missed a tired wave towards mid-on. Shakib threatened from the River Tone end while Surrey’s seamers rotated, and Somerset lost regular wickets until Tom Banton, who had injured an ankle playing football in the warm-up, hobbled in at No 11 and added 41 with Craig Overton.
South Africa’s Test batsman David Bedingham hit Durham’s highest innings of 279 and shared a stand of 425 with Colin Ackerman against Lancashire. Lancashire are competing with Nottinghamshire to avoid the drop into division two along with Kent. Sussex cemented their place at the top while Yorkshire leapfrogged over Middlesex in their bid to join them for promotion.
