Pope and Crawley struggle on County Championship opening day
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Ollie Pope's bid to regain his England place got off to a disappointing start as under-pressure Test opener Zak Crawley fell for just nine on the opening day of the County Championship season.
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County Championship: Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley endure lacklustre starts to County Championship season - round-up Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley fall for 20 and nine respectively on the opening day of the County Championship; Ben Foakes makes 128 for Surrey as Essex use first ever injury replacement; Emilio Gay makes century for Division Two Durham Friday 3 April 2026 19:59, UK Ollie Pope's bid to regain his England place got off to a disappointing start as under-pressure Test opener Zak Crawley fell for just nine on the opening day of the County Championship season. Pope, who was dropped after the third Test of England's desperate 4-1 Ashes defeat over the winter, was trapped lbw for just 20 in his first match since Adelaide against Warwickshire at Edgbaston. England's drubbing Down Under has placed extra emphasis on county performances, which have largely been disregarded in recent years, with a number of places seemingly up for grabs in the first Test of the summer against New Zealand in June. Ben Duckett withdraws from IPL to focus on England form 🏏 County Championship fixtures for 2026 season 📋 County cricket ins and outs: Who's playing where? ✍️ Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with NOW 📺📱 Choose the Sky Sports push notifications you want! 🔔 Dom Sibley played the last of his 22 Tests in 2021 but top-scored in Division One last season to put himself in contention for a recall. He fell for just 25 and wicket-keeper Jamie Smith - under serious pressure to keep hold of his Test spot - made just nine batting at No 3 as Surrey struggled to 65-6. Former England keeper Ben Foakes led the recovery in a 165-run stand with Tom Lawes (83) before going on to make a brilliant 128 as Surrey were all out for 328 at the close. The County Championship's new replacement rules were immediately in play at Hampshire as Essex's Noah Thain replaced Tom Westley after he was hit on the hand. As part of a new trial, fully participating players can be used as replacements for the f...
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