In his first LV= Insurance County Championship appearance in 11 months, James Anderson warmed up for this summer’s Ashes series by taking down former England captain Sir Alastair Cook, a prized scalp.
Because Lancashire chose to bat first on a straw-colored surface, Anderson stayed in the pavilion until it was time to bat just before tea. Without being stopped, he scored nine.
Nevertheless, it took England’s all-time highest wicket-taker just three balls in Essex’s reply to claim his first domestic season’s first wicket, as Cook was adjudged lbw while playing forward half-cock.
When Cook’s opening partner Nick Browne chased a ball that lifted outside of the stumps to offer Luke Wells at first slip experience collecting it, Anderson had already struck.
Essex reached the end of the day on 98 for three as Anderson concluded the day with two wickets for 33 from 11 overs.
Sam Cook, the extremely talented Essex seamer who hopes to one day succeed Anderson when he retires from Test cricket, stole the show with his first five-wicket haul of the year just as Lancashire was being knocked for 207 on the final moment of tea.
George Bell, a 20-year-old wicketkeeper playing in only his fourth Championship match, provided the foundation for Lancashire’s up-and-down innings. He was ninth out for a career-best 60 from 109 balls, which included 10 fours and showed maturity beyond his years.
Early on, there weren’t many indications of the type of life Anderson would get in his seven-over salvo in the evening round. Only when Doug Bracewell, an Essex player making his international debut, joined the attack did a few sparks fly.
Josh Bohannon had to watch as the New Zealander had the Lancashire upper-order dodging and weaving. One passed barely under his throat.
However, it was a revitalized Jamie Porter who made the initial breakthrough on a crisp, breezy April day when Harmer stood at second slip wearing a snood that covered most of his face and appeared nearly inconspicuous.
Porter only claimed 19 Championship wickets in the previous season, but in just 10 balls, he had Luke Wells strangled down legside to claim his 10th of the current campaign.
However, it was Bracewell’s introduction that severely damaged Lancashire’s batting. When Steven Croft drove at one outside off-stump and was caught at shoulder height by Harmer, he was already celebrating his maiden Essex wicket.
Bohannon was stopped by the same partnership after Harmer made a wonderful one-handed catch after fending off another wide ball.
After lunch, when Cook returned to the attack, two quick wickets fell. Vilas was first put in front after choosing the incorrect line to play, and five balls later Colin de Grandhomme had a same fate and lost his off-stump.
Bell and Tom Hartley’s 67-run seventh-wicket stand steady the ship. In spite of two missed opportunities to catch the ball, Hartley managed to score a 50-ball 33 that contained five fours and a six before attempting to reverse-sweep Harmer and being bowled out.
When Tom Bailey pushed Bracewell to midwicket and Porter’s direct throw beat him to the non-striker’s end, Bell lost another partner. Two more overs later, the kid was the next victim of the Cook-Cook alliance, and Cook the bowler eventually ended the innings with figures of five for 42.
Three balls before he was out, the elder Cook swung Anderson sharply to the midwicket boundary. When Tom Westley misjudged a ball from Will Williams and was another lbw victim, Essex was three down in the following over.
With an unbroken half-century partnership that featured five penalty runs when Grandhomme’s return to the wicket keeper hit Critchley’s bat and was called back for “illegal fielding of the ball,” in violation of Law 28.2, Dan Lawrence (39) and Matt Critchley (23) saw Essex to the stumps.