The latest round of the County Championship 2025 had several star players in action. Some hoping to put their name on the selectors’ radar while others trying to prove their fitness.
Four out five matches from division one ended in draws, with Surrey beating Worcestershire by nine wickets in the other one. In division two, Northants beat Middlesex by four wickets while the other three fixtures resulted in draws.
India stars Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma made their debut in the County Championship in this round. Jofra Archer and Jacob Bethell were among the notable England players with all eyes on them. Here we take a look at key takeaways from this round of the County Championship 2025.
Jacob Bethell was left out of the England playing XI for the first Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He needed a strong outing in the County Championship to force his way back but could not deliver.
In the clash against Somerset at Edgbaston, the Warwickshire star batted at number five, and returned with 20 & 12 in two innings. This wasn’t enough as Ollie Pope hit a century against India and Zak Crawley scored an important half century in the fourth innings. Incidentally, Edgbaston is the venue where the second England vs India Test will be played.
Two India players, looking to push their case for Test selection, Tilak Varma and Ishan Kishan starred on their County Championship debut.
Playing for Hampshire, Varma scored a gritty century off 241 deliveries versus Essex after coming in to bat at 34 for 2. With this knock, he reminded the selectors of his calibre in the longer format. England’s Liam Dawson also scored a century in this innings, and added 134 runs for the fifth wicket with Varma.
Just in: County Championship updates.
— Inside out (@INSIDDE_OUT) June 24, 2025
– Tilak Varma has scored 100 runs vs Essex.
– Ishan Kishan scored 87 runs vs Yorkshire.
Both Indian batters having a good outing in county cricket. pic.twitter.com/g5bjvRyzWg
Ishan Kishan, who has played two Tests for India, also had a solid outing for Nottinghamshire against Yorkshire. Batting at number six, Kishan smashed 87 off 98 deliveries.
ALSO READ:
Jofra Archer played his first First-Class match after four years in the latest County Championship 2025 round. The star pacer has been plagued by elbow and back injuries for the past few years. Recently, he missed the ODI series against West Indies with a thumb injury.
Playing red-ball cricket after a long time, it was all about showing his body can handle the strain of bowling multiple spells in a day. He bowled 18 overs in the only innings against Durham, picking up 1 for 32.
Archer bowled eight maidens and looked in good rhythm. These were great signs as he could earn a recall for the second Test in Birmingham.
The 20-year-old Rehan Ahmed has been making rapid strides in his quest to become a proper all-rounder for England. He has been outstanding in the ongoing County Championship, batting at number three for Leicestershire.
Rehan brought up his third century of the season against Glamorgan and touched the 500-run tally. He struck 106 off 118 deliveries, showing he can keep up with the Bazball tempo if the opportunity comes.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
